A Black Soul
by Lyndasty Black
Summary: Jade and Sarah Black are two eleven-year-old girls who were abandonned as small children. They are about to learn astounding things about their lives, their family, and - most importantly - about eachother.
1. Chapter 1

***Disclaimer* I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter one

Two girls were walking side-by-side down one of the countless dark, narrow alleyways of London. When they looked around then, they saw trash littered around their feet, lamps flickering overhead, and posters of long-forgotten singers and would-be stars. These alleys are far beyond where the tourists and even the people living here are supposed to see. The girls, twins, each have a large bag slung over their shoulders, filled with blankets, food, and what little money they are able to steal. Their names were Sarah and Jade.

They both have the same wavy dark red hair that flowed down their backs, and the same steely dark blue eyes. These eyes are cold and hard, and had obviously seen too much for their youth. For that was what they were – youth. Two eleven-year-old girls wandering the streets of London. They were very out of place.

Sarah was wearing a green striped t-shirt with a dark brown jacket. Her hair was tied back and she was sporting light blue jeans. Jade, however, had a leather jacket and dark jeans on. Her hair was hidden in her baseball cap and she had a black nose stud.

One would generally find it odd to see two young girls in a non-descript alley in the middle of the night, but they didn't seem to mind. Jade and Sarah lived there, and had been for the past two years, so they learned to ignore the strange looks that they got.

For two years, stealing, pick pocketing, begging, and hiding defined the girls' lives for two years. They had done very desperate things to stay alive, like stealing from stores and even breaking into people's houses to get what they need. If they could have, they would have sold their soul to the devil to get a week's worth of food.

Some people believe that it would be easy to live out there on the streets. They're wrong. Dead wrong. It can be quite challenging to steal from a store. The cashiers are constantly watching their customers, looking for a sign that they want to take something. The twins have countless scars and injuries from getting caught shoplifting and having to run. They ran because if they didn't, they'd have to face the police and child services. And they were never doing that again. Never.

The girls' takes weren't happy ones. They were born on April 19th, 1980 in their mother Lyndasty's house in London. For reasons unknown to her children, Lyndasty gave Jade and Sarah up to the foster care system when they were only a year old. They were put into the system, but were purposely separated so neither of them knew about the other. For eight years, they were shuttled from house to house, never staying longer than a few months. They seemed to unnerve the other family members. They were too quiet.

Jade had a much worse experience during her childhood than her sister. She was unfortunate enough to get into houses with abusive families. She has a scar on the left side of her neck from when one of them threw a steak knife at her. Sarah only had one abusive family, but it was when she was very young. It mentally scarred her, and she became colder and more distant with every family she joined. Both sisters were really messed up when they found each other.

It was a mistake by the foster system that led to the sisters meeting when they were nine years old. It was very confusing for them to see each other for the first time. All sorts of questions ran through their minds – Why had they never met? Why were they separated? Who were their parents? All these questions had to go unanswered for the moment.

People in suits started showing up at the house, and they kept going on about how "the girls must be relocated" and "The Ministry will take care of it". It was disturbing to the nine year olds, and they didn't want to be separated. So they ran.

They left as soon as everyone else went to bed one night, silently gathering up clothes and supplies from the house. They had to lay low for a few months, until the search for them was called off. Then they spent a full two years on their own, always struggling to stay alive. They vowed never again to go back to the foster system. They didn't have any idea that they were special. They didn't know they were important. They didn't even know the true depth of their names: Jade and Sarah Black.

**Author's Notes:**

**Thank you for reading chapter one of my first multi-chapter story! I've planned for this to be a **_**LOT**_** of chapters, so I hope you're willing to wait for the conclusion! Please review to let me know how I can improve my writing. XOXO - **


	2. Chapter 2

**I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER**

Chapter 2

Nightmares.

They're horrible things; creeping up on you in the middle of the night, always coming when you least expect it, just when you think you'll have a peaceful night.

Having a good night's sleep never seemed to happen to Jade, who got a nightmare at least once every week. There were a variety of different dreams she had, most of which she experienced when she was a small child. And she didn't have many pleasant memories of that time.

Sarah watched in sadness as her sister thrashed and turned in her sleep. She couldn't be woken up from her nightmares. She just had to endure them.

When Jade finally woke up, the sisters packed up their things as if nothing had happened and started walking, staying dead silent. They didn't say much after a nightmare.

In the early afternoon, an obviously drunk man in his twenties staggered up to the girls.

"Hey babes. Wanna buy some dope? Top o' the line here."

Jade and Sarah just looked at him with one of their cold, hard stares. He faltered, and then, obviously spooked, marched quickly away from the creepy girls. They smiled to themselves and continued their walk to nowhere.

"Jade?" Sarah finally asked with concern, wondering if her sister was alright.

"I'm fine, Sarah." She replied briskly. She immediately smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

"S'okay." Sarah grinned faintly at Jade. Her grin soon faded, though, and they walked in silence for a few hours. Then they heard a noise. "Did you hear that?"

The sound of footsteps was faintly heard. There weren't many people about at this time, which was now the late evening, and there were at least four or five of them there. "Yeah." Jade glanced quickly over her shoulder, and saw what she suspected. A group of young men were walking about a hundred meters behind them. They were laughing and shouting, but one of them stopped and pointed at the girls. Even with the distance between them, the grins of triumph were unmistakable.

The girls looked around them. This was a part of the city they were unfamiliar with. They didn't know the layout of the streets, nor any hiding spots or escape routes. The gang started to move faster.

The twins didn't want to get involved in a fight with them, so they started toward a lesser street, hoping to lose the gang in the maze of alleys. It didn't work. The girls turned a corner, and saw that the alley was blocked off with a metal fence with barbed wire strung across the top. It was at least 10 feet tall. They were trapped.

"Hello, ladies." The man who was leading the group called out cheerily. They heard one of them call him Sebastian.

"Now what," Sebastian continued, "Would two young, very fine girls be doing out here this lovely evening?"

"Walking," Sarah stated coldly. "Now, if you don't mind moving, we'd like to be on our way." She tried, without much hope, to walk around them.

Sebastian's smile faltered. "I don't think I like your tone. It makes you seem unwelcoming."

"Wow, that was a very big word you used there," Jade said slowly, as if talking to a child. She was unable to contain herself. "I hope your brain doesn't hurt from the effort."

She hit a nerve as a vein pulsed in Sebastian's neck, and the gang laughed. It wasn't at him, but at the excitement of what was going to happen next. But before anyone could move, a man appeared, seemingly out of thin air.

He appeared just in front of the Sarah and Jade, facing the gang. The men started, but the girls were frozen in surprise. As the gang recovered, the girls surveyed the man in front of them. He was probably very old, as his hair was silvery. It was even longer than Jade and Sarah's. He had a midnight blue coat, and – of all things – high heeled buckled boots. They couldn't get a look at his face.

Before anyone could react, the old man pulled what looked like an ordinary stick out of a pocket of his cloak. He waved it, and the faces of the gang members went blank. Then, to the girls' astonishment, they turned around and walked away. The man turned, also, and the twins could see their savoir.

He was, as they suspected, ancient, is face incredibly wrinkled. His piercing blue eyes were covered by a pair of half-moon shaped glasses. The man smiled kindly and pocketed his stick.

"Hello, young ladies." He spoke very calmly, as if he did that sort of thing all the time. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am very pleased to meet you. Come now; we have some things to talk about."

**Author's note:**

**I was going to put the first and second chapters together so they'd be longer, but I forgot. Sorry about that. R&R please! XOXO – Lyndasty Black**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I don't buy it."

Jade and Sarah were sitting on their jackets so they wouldn't get wet from the soaking ground. A thunderstorm had just passed, leaving mud and rainwater everywhere.

"I know. That Dumbledore guy was obviously bonkers."

Dumbledore had left right before the storm. He told the girls all these wild tales about how wizards and witches exist all over the country, and that they were two of them. He even set fire to a trash can by just looking at it, but the girls knew it must have been faked. Because magic didn't exist, everyone knew that.

"He is definitely missing a few screws up there," Jade commented, tapping her temple. Sarah grinned.

The girls decided to get some food from downtown. It would be a sort of vacation for them, since they hadn't been there for a few months. On their way, they spotted a pub near a corner that hadn't been there the last time they were there. A sign over the sturdy wooden door said that it was called the Leakey Cauldron. They had a strange feeling about the pub, so they asked a passerby about it.

"Excuse me," Sarah said sweetly to a man. He looked at her. "Could you please tell me when that pub over there was built?"

The man's eyes shifted from the hair salon to the left of the pub, to a small clothing store on the other side. "What pub?" He looked at Sarah as if she was mad.

Sarah frowned. "That one," she said, pointing. The man just looked annoyed and walked away.

Overcome with curiosity, the girls pushed open the door and entered. It was an old and grimy place, with some strange people inside. The majority of them seemed like normal people, but there were some exceptions. There was a pair of women who were extremely beautiful at a table near the center, but when one of them laughed at the other, her face contorted into the head of an ugly bird. Another man had hair completely covering his body, from to toe. There was another man sitting in the corner, who looked like he had fangs. And Albus Dumbledore was sitting at a table to the right of the entrance, clutching a mug of brandy in his bony fingers.

"Jade and Sarah," Dumbledore said, smiling. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Have you ever thought you were special?" Albus Dumbledore asked the two girls. They each had an untouched glass of lemonade in front of them. Both girls raised their eyebrows.

"Really, if we were special, I don't think we'd be stuck living like we do right now." Sarah said bitterly.

"One should really have a more positive attitude, you know."

"Bite me."

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "It is sad that someone of your youth would talk as if they were older, though I think that you have an excuse.

Sarah glowered, but said nothing. Jade sat unmoving, her face revealing no emotion. Dumbledore continued.

"You were both born on April 19th, 1980, in your mother Lyndasty's home. For reasons of her own, she put you into the Foster Care system."

"Thanks a lot, mom." Jade spat venomously. Dumbledore seemed sympathetic.

"I understand that you've had some troubles in the past which-"

"That's an understatement." Jades eyes flashed dangerously. Dumbledore paused, having seen that same expression before. He saw it years ago, on the face of their mother. It was the combined emotion of anger and sadness. That conversation was ending.

"Very well. As you have seen, the people in this pub are different than normal. There are a few who aren't human, but the majority are. They are wizards and witches, living in hiding from the non-magical world. You are two of them." The old man paused, waiting to see if the two of them would interrupt. They didn't. "Young witches and wizards of your age go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn to control their magic. If you are interested, you are welcome to attend."

As Dumbledore finished his speech, he sat back, took a sip of his brandy, and waited for their answer.

"I'm still not sure about this magic thing," Sarah said. "All these people here who look weird could just be freaks. No offence," she added, seeing the hairy man peer at her. He looked away.

"Yeah," Jade continued for her sister. "I'm doubtful, too."

"Well then, let me prove it to you." Dumbledore bounded up from his seat and started briskly walking to a door on the right wall of the room. With only a slight hesitation, the twins uneasily followed.

The room he led them too had only a trash can and a solid brick wall. Dumbledore tapped the wall with his wand that he drew from his cloak three times. Then, to the twins' amazement, the bricks in the wall started shifting to the side. In less than a minute, the bricks had shifted enough to form an archway to the most amazing and extraordinary place the girls had ever seen.

Jade and Sarah looks around wondrously at Diagon Alley. With all the colors and things to see, the girls wished they had twelve more sets of eyes. They were mesmerized and awed at the sight, and Dumbledore started to lead them forward, a smile on his face.

**A/N**

**Hope you liked it!! Rate and review please! XOXO – Lyndasty Black**


	4. Chapter 4

**I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER.**

**I forgot to add the disclaimer to Chapter 3, so I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER ON THAT ONE EITHER.**

Chapter 4

Jade and Sarah were lounging in their room at the Leakey Cauldron when they heard a knock at the door. Their Hogwarts letters had arrived.

A few days earlier, Professor Dumbledore had given the two girls each a key. He continued to explain that they were for their vaults at Gringott's Bank.

"Vaults?" Sarah asked, noticing the plural tense.

"You each have a different one. Sarah, you have your mother's vault. Jade, your father's.

"Oh."

Dumbledore surveyed the girls as they examined their tiny keys. It worried him that they had not once asked about their parents and what happened to them. They obviously didn't care, but the man decided to mention them anyways.

"Would you two like to know who your parents are?" The professor asked, watching them.

"Not really," Jade replied. She turned to her sister. "You?"

"No, thanks." Sarah contributed evenly. Jade peered at Dumbledore.

"See," she said, "you said 'who they are' so that means that they're still alive. And parents that abandon their children aren't welcome with us.

The girls continued to examine their keys, so Dumbledore sighed, shook his head, and bade them farewell.

A few days later when their letters arrived, the two girls immediately left to go to their vaults. It amazed them to find that they were rich; there must have been hundreds of thousands of gold, silver and bronze coins in each one. Whoever their parents were, they certainly lived well.

Then they started exploring the many shops of Diagon Alley. They spent a _very_ long time looking around the street, arguing over what they could and couldn't buy.

"Jade, come on, that's a solid gold cauldron!"

"Oh please, Sarah, you don't even know how to fly a broom, don't waste thousands of galleons on one!"

"You are _not_ going to buy that cursed necklace. It's in Knockturn Alley!

In the late afternoon, they surveyed their letters to see if they missed anything.

"It says, 'You may bring an owl, a cat, or a toad'," Jade quoted. "Well, we don't have anyone to send letters to, so that rules the owl out. Cats just sit there and don't do anything, so none for me. And toads are useless, I don't even know why they're on the list. No pets for me, I guess."

"I kinda want a cat," Sarah said. "Remember that really scruffy-looking one we used to feed? Before It got squished by that Chevy, I mean."

"I always thought he was ugly."

"Well _I _liked him."

The girls started towards the pet store. "I'll be a few minutes," Sarah said and entered the store.

Jade walked over to a wall across the street and leaned on it. Just then, she saw two boys running at a dead sprint from around a corner. She could see why. About fifty meters behind them, there was a teenager running after them, screaming something incoherent at them. He had bright purple hair. The two boys bolted toward Jade's direction.

"We're not here," One of them whispered as then ran around to the other side of the wall. Jade saw that they were twins, both sporting red hair. The boy with purple hair stopped, looked around, and kept on running past the Jade and the wall that his the twins.

"I suppose you dyed his hair," Jade commented as the twin boys emerged from behind the wall.

"Yep," the one on the left grinned.

"Impressive. What class did you learn that in?"

"We didn't," the other one said, his grin just as large as his brother's. "It was real dye."

"Nice."

"I suppose we should introduce ourselves. I'm Fred," the one on the right said. "That there is George."

"Hey, I'm Fred," the other countered.

"No, you're not."

"Okay, I'm not. George admitted. "And you are?"

"Jade."

"Glad to meet your acquaintance, or something like that." Fred said.

"Jade, there you are," Sarah said, walking across the street to where her sister was. She was carrying a medium-sized box with holes punched in it.

"Hey, I'm seeing double," Fred and George said at the same time.

"So am I," the other set of twins laughed. Sarah introduced herself, and so did Fred and George.

"I saw someone with purple hair a few minutes ago through the window," Sarah chuckled. "Is that who you're hiding from?"

"Yeah. Speaking of which-"

"FRED! GEORGE!

A short plump woman with the same red hair as the boys came around the bend. She had a furious expression on her face.

"Oh, hello, dears," the woman, presumably the boys' mother, smiled at Jade and Sarah. She turned on her sons, suddenly looking like a ferocious tigress. "You two had better put Percy back this instant!"

"Come on, mum, it was just a joke!" Fred complained. "Oww!"

The woman grabbed them both by the ear and started dragging them along behind her.

"See you at Hogwarts!" One of them yelled painfully.

"So, Sarah," Jade spoke as if nothing had happened. "What does your new cat look like?"

Sarah unlatched her box and pulled out a small cat. Jade looked disgusted.

"That's not a cat. It's a rodent."

"It's a _she_, actually. And you're horrible by the way."

The whole was back the Leakey Cauldron, the girls argued about the cat. They bickered about whether her shade of gray was ugly or not, and whether her slight limp was attractive. One could probably guess which side each girl was on.

**A/N**

**We are introduced to some different characters! Yay! Personally, the Weasley Twins are my favourites in the series. Draco Malfoy is a close second. We'll see some of him soon, don't worry about that. XOXO – Lyndasty Black**


	5. Chapter 5

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 5

The floor of the Hogwarts Express rumbled against Sarah's feet. Jade had gone to the washroom, leaving her sister in an empty compartment. Sarah tied back her long red hair and started to write in her diary. She's been keeping it ever since she ran away.

The compartment door slid open, revealing two young boys, around the same age as Sarah. One of them had the same bright hair as Fred and George did.

"Are these seats taken?" The other one who had dark hair asked.

"Just one. Come on in."

The boys sat down. "I'm Sarah," she said.

"I'm Ron." The redhead replied.

"Harry."

"I'm Jade," Jade added, walking into the compartment. "You're Harry and Ron, if I heard right."

"Yeah. Am I going crazy or are there two of you?" Ron squinted.

"You might be crazy, but there are two of us."Jade sat down. "Do you know anyone named Fred and George?" she asked to Ron.

"Yeah, they're my brothers. You know them?"

"I saw them turn someone's hair purple in Diagon Alley a few weeks ago."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that," Ron chuckled at the memory.

The topic of conversation moved to Hogwarts when Harry asked if anyone knew anything about it.

"We only know from what was in our letters," Sarah said. She, Jade and Harry looked at Ron for an explanation. He sighed, and explained about the school. He was about to talk about the four houses when the compartment door slid open.

"So," a boy with platinum blonde hair said as he peered in at them from the doorway. "The rumours are true. You're Harry Potter." He looked at Harry with a small sneer on his face. He then looked at Ron, and his sneer deepened. "Why do you hang around with _this_" the boy gestured at Ron, looking back at Harry, "sort of person?"

"Ron's my friend."

"Of course. I see you have a soft spot for imbeciles." He turned his gaze to the twins. "My father told me that you two would be here," He said smugly to them, obviously trying to show them that his knowledge was superior to theirs. His father must be important. "You're Jade and Sarah Black, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are." Sarah said cautiously. "And who are you?"

"Draco Malfoy."

"How did your father know about us?"

"He went to school with your parents. He didn't like them very much, though."

"I'm so sorry for him." Jade said sarcastically. "And you can leave now."

"Fine. Just thought I'd say hello." He turned to leave. It was only then that the twins noticed the two incredibly large boys who were standing behind Draco in the hallway of the train. As they left, Ron shook his head.

"I'll bet anything that he'll end up in Slytherin," He muttered darkly. "That's one of the Houses at Hogwarts. It's also the worst. The others are Griffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Everyone says that Hufflepuff's for pansies, but I'd rather be in that one than Slytherin."

Before long, the train slowed to a stop, and the four of them started exiting the train. Before he left the girls, Ron said ominously, "See you on the other side... If we survive the sorting, that is."

As they entered the Great Hall, the twins saw a hat positioned on a stool near the far end of the Hall.

"So we just have to put on the hat?" Jade asked incredulously. "I was expecting wrestling trolls or something like that."

It wasn't long before professor McGonnagal called out "Black, Sarah!" from the end of the hall. She tried to act confident, but nervousness radiated from her. The last thing she saw before the hat covered her eyes was her sister giving her a thumbs-up from the crowd. She heard a little voice inside her head.

"_Sarah Black",_ it said in her mind, "_You are amazingly courageous, even if it doesn't show. You are strong willed, and you almost never back down. Your loyalty never wavers to your sister, the one person you trust. You definitely belong in GRIFFINDOR!"_

The hat screamed out the house to the hall. Sarah gratefully got up and, grinning at Jade, went to sit down at the Griffindor table. She took her seat next to Fred and George Weasley, who were cheering loudly.

"Black, Jade!"

Jade didn't show any nervousness as she confidently marched up. She was extremely good at concealing her emotions. Her eyes were covered up by the hat.

"_Jade Black,"_ The hat said. _"You are brave like your sister, but you lack all the loyalty she has. You are very strong, cunning, and you can be dangerous. You will stop at nothing to achieve your goals. You won't like this, but you belong in SLYTHERIN!"_

Jade was stunned. She slowly rose from her seat, shared an astonished look with Sarah, and strode over to the Slytherin table. It was the farthest possible from her sister's table. She sat in silence for the rest of the sorting.

When the sorting was over, Sarah took out a pen from her pocket and wrote on her napkin, _"Meet me after the feast by the tapestry of the really old guy I pointed out to you as we came in"_ She then balled it up and tossed it with all her strength to the Slytherin table. Several teachers looked at her disapprovingly, but didn't bother getting up to scold her. Jade read the note and nodded to Sarah.

"Um, hi." A girl sitting across from Jade said shyly. "I'm Liza. You're Jade right?"

"Yeah," Jade replied, smiling at her. "Hi."

"I cannot believe I was put in Slytherin," Liza commented, grabbing a drumstick. Jade realized that she was starving, and grabbed a couple herself. "I'm not smart or cunning or anything else that has to do with Slytherin." Liza sighed. "I don't belong here."

"Sure you do," Jade assured her new friend. "And you're definitely smart compared to me. I haven't gone to school in awhile."

"Awhile as in a couple months?"

"More like two years."

"Really? Why not?"

"Sarah and I ran away when we were nine."

"What about your parents?"

"We don't have any."

"I'm so sorry. How did they die, if you don't mind me asking?"

"They didn't. They abandoned us when we were infants."

"I'm so sorry," Liza said sympathetically. She didn't press the matter any further.

On the other side of the room, Sarah was having a blast. She along with Fred, George and a boy named Lee Jordan were cracking jokes and other people while they weren't looking.

"So, how do you feel about Jade being in Slytherin?" George asked after flinging a large spoonful of mashed potatoes at an unsuspecting Hufflepuff.

"It's fine," Sarah replied. "We're different, even though we look the same.

"Yeah, but a lot of people don't like Slytherins," Lee reasoned, letting fly a well aimed pea at one of the teachers' goblets. He quickly looked away, in fear of being seen laughing.

"I know, but trust me, anyone who says anything is in for trouble."

"Oh?" Fred asked, interested.

"Jade's tough. We've had to fight our way out of some sticky situations when we ran away. We've pretty much been raised to fight back when we're threatened."

"But why run away in the first place?"

Sarah searched for the right words. "You obviously don't know how the foster system works. After we get put into a home, the system ignores us. Most of the parents don't give a damn about us, and some are abusive. I even knew a girl who was killed by one of her so called 'parents'." She took a breath. "I never stayed with a family for longer than six months. I unnerved the other members of the family. No one really wants you there, and when I was nine, I finally realized it. I knew that if I didn't leave, I'd go insane. So Jade and I ran."

There was a tense pause. "Wow," Lee finally said. "That sucks."

"You can't imagine," Sarah muttered, mostly to herself.

When the feast ended and Dumbledore had made his announcements, the sisters met up by the painting of the ugly fat man.

"What are we going to do?" Sarah asked. "We can't spend seven years in a different house!"

"I think we're going to have to." Jade replied. "We belong in different houses. We've got different personalities and stuff."

"Well, I'm not standing for it."

"I will."

"Come on, Jade, you're supposed to not give up and stuff."

"Sarah, we'll still see each other at breaks and after school. Besides, we'll probably have some classes together. And I've gotten pretty sick of you there past couple years."

Laughing, they said their goodbyes. Sarah saw someone to follow to her common room, and Jade found herself alone. Realizing she had no idea where to go, she sighed, sat down against a wall, and waited.

**A/N**

**I'm soooo sorry that I don't update very quickly, but I'm completely swamped with homework and sports and stuff like that. Please don't eat me. –Lyndasty Black**


	6. Chapter 6

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 6

_I wasn't really hoping to spend my first night at Hogwarts our here,_ Jade thought to herself as she sat against the grey stone wall.

She'd been sitting there for about fifteen minutes. Her back was getting stiff and it was very chilly with all the lamps put out. And as if that wasn't enough to freak her out, someone was watching her.

Jade had been aware of his presence for several minutes. Every few moments, the shadows near a non-descript archway would move, and she had heard some rustling. Even if she didn't see him, she knew he was there.

She wasn't scared. She'd faced far worse than some lone student peering down at her. So slowly, stealthily, she moved toward the archway. She stood there for several seconds, and when she heard him rustle his clothes again, she stepped forward.

It was Draco Malfoy, the boy from the train. He was taken aback by Jade's sudden presence, and had to take a moment to compose himself.

"Can I help you?" Jade asked, almost casually.

"Um- not really," Draco replied, still a little stunned.

"What were you doing?"

The boy pulled himself together. "I was watching you. It was interesting."

"You must not have any idea how creepy that sounded."

"It's true. You stayed completely still the whole time. No one else I know can do that. You knew I was there for awhile, didn't you?"

"Yes. And you are thoroughly creeping me out."

"Yeah, I have that affect on people." Draco grinned cockily. All traces of confusion from before had evaporated. "You need help finding the common room?"

"Yeah, sure."

They walked to the common room chatting casually. _Huh,_ Jade thought, _I think I've made a friend. I think._

• • • •

The Slytherin Common room was awoken by the sound of screams.

Jade was not a morning person, so she spent several minutes to rise into consciousness. She groggily stumbled down to the main room, where a cluster of people were already there.

"Where's the fire?" Jade asked woozily to no one in particular. She tried to make it clear that she was thoroughly pissed at being woken up at 6 a.m. More people came out of their dorms, looking curiously at the scene before them.

There were about half a dozen hysterical girls screaming in the middle of the room. They all had something covering their heads. They were still screaming. Jade wondered why they didn't pass out from lack of oxygen.

Liza stumbled out of her dorm, staggering as if half of her was still in bed, asleep. "What happened?" she asked sleepily to Jade.

"I dunno."

Just then, someone got tired of waiting and pulled a towel off of one of the girls' heads. There were several shrieks of laughter. The girl was completely bald.

Already getting bored, many of the bystanders went back up to their rooms. A few stayed with their friends, who instead of screaming, were now bawling madly. Jade figured she wouldn't get back to sleep, so she sat next to Liza on one of the sofas. Liza had taken a magazine from the table in front of her and started to read. Draco Malfoy sat across from them, with the two goons from the train with him.

"So, what'd you think of that?" He asked the girls, gesturing to the scene behind them.

"It was actually quite entertaining." Jade replied, not looking up from the _Witch Weekly_ magazine Liza just handed to her.

"It was pretty funny that they freaked out like that." Liza added.

"Thank you." Draco replied, smirking.

"That was you?" Jade asked, looking up.

"Yes. The teachers should really take more caution as to what the students bring into the school."

"You're weird." Jade commented, and got up to get dressed.

Sarah, on the other hand, wasn't awoken by screaming. She woke up to see her cat, Pebbles, anxiously waiting to be fed. She'd also left her owner a little surprise on the floor by her shoes. Sarah sighed, and got out of bed.

It was very early in the morning, so the common room was almost empty. There was only one other person in the room. She was facing the fire, so all Sarah could see of her was a bunch of frizzy brown hair. Sarah sat down on an armchair beside her.

"Hi," she said brightly. "I'm Sarah."

The girl looked up, looking surprised that someone was talking to her.

"Hello." She said, closing the incredibly large book she was reading. "I'm Hermione."

"Hermione. Okay, I'll remember that." Sarah looked at the book. "What's that book you're reading?"

"'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi'. I heard that Potions is a more difficult subject, so I decided to read ahead."

"Oh. Okay." Sarah was surprised. Neither she nor Jade would do that. Education had never been a very high priority in their lives.

School went very well for both girls, even though they were apart. Sarah's worst subject was Transfiguration, and Jade's was Astronomy, but they managed to scrape past those ones.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione became quite close with Jade and Sarah, and many homework assignments were saved by Hermione's expertise. Even so, the girls found their stories about the giant three headed dog guarding a little rock very hard to believe. It wasn't until after it was all over and Harry was in the hospital did they believe their stories, and regretted not taking their tales seriously.

"Hey, no problem." Harry said carelessly when the sisters had come to see him in the hospital and say their apologies. "It wasn't something I would have believed without proof.

Even though it was an amazing experience for Jade and Sarah, the school year had to eventually end. The train ride seemed to go by incredibly quickly. After they said their goodbyes to all their friends at the train station, they left with their suitcases to face the streets of London once again.

They had only spent a few hours back in London before they ran into trouble.

Jade noticed the car first. It was black, sleek and shiny with tinted windows. Jade nudged her sister, and they both saw it slow down while approaching where the girls sat, eating their dinner. It didn't stop, though, and kept going. The twins didn't breathe until it had rounded a corner and disappeared from view.

"That could have been bad," Jade muttered, and turned back to her sandwich. They slowly started to relax, and about half an hour later, Sarah went to get them both from the ice cream parlour across the street. As soon as she left, though, Jade felt uneasy and very nervous.

Sarah had only been gone about a minute when the car returned. It came from the opposite direction this time, and it pulled to a stop a few yards away from them. The Jade tensed, and prepared to bolt. The front passenger door opened, and a man in what looked like a very expensive suit came out. What with his dark sunglasses and intimidating demeanour, he could have been a mobster, or even a secret agent.

"Are you Sarah or Jade?" The man asked pleasantly. He didn't appear to notice Jade's terror. When she didn't answer, he smiled. "You must be Jade, then. Sarah would have answered. I've read your files quite thoroughly," he added, seeing Jade's questioning expression.

"Our 'files'?" Jade asked, stepping back.

"What's going on?"

Sarah had returned, holding two chocolate ice cream cones in her hands. When the man turned to her, she involuntarily dropped them.

"What's taking so long?"

One of the back doors opened, and a woman stepped out. She smiled at the girls kindly.

"Ah, there you two are. We've been looking for you."

"Who the hell are you?" Jade demanded. She'd backed up to where Sarah was standing, her expression hostile.

"We're from Child Services. I think you two should come with us."

The girls took off before they'd even finished speaking. They ran in separate directions, as planned years ago. They would try to make it to the closest train station, or as they called it, the "safe zone", and decide what to do from there. But they never made it.

Police cars screamed down the roads, sirens wailing. There had to be at least three or four of them. Jade and Sarah didn't see each other until way later, when the police had eventually captured them. The news report later said that the police found the girls hours after they ran, separated, tired, and completely, utterly alone.

**A/N**

**Well that was fun. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. XOXO – Lyndasty Black**


	7. Chapter 7

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter Seven

_One year later…_

"I say we just run for it," Sarah muttered as they got off the train.

"But I don't think either of us want to end up in a juvenile detention center," Jade pointed out. "That's what the Child Services guy said would happen if we tried it again."

"He was bluffing."

"Or he might not have been. And I kind of want to spend the next school year at Hogwarts, not in a cell."

The girls had spent the previous summer in a home. They were mercifully put together this time, but never dared try to run away. The police had put guards near the house so no one would be able to leave unless authorized. Sarah had often complained, but the guards said that it was for their own safety.

"I refuse to go to that place again," Sarah said stubbornly. Jade sighed.

"I hated it too, Sarah, but at least the mother didn't hit us this time."

Sarah didn't answer.

The girls wandered outside of King's Cross Station. They didn't want to go too far away, and look like they were trying to escape.

"Oh, there you two are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The girls turned defensively, but didn't see the suited man that they'd expected. It was a plump woman with red hair and a kind smile. They recognized her from almost two years ago, at Diagon Alley.

"I'm Mrs Weasley," the woman said, and confirmed their assumption. The girls smiled as best they could. But their faces instantly brightened when they heard what she had to say next. "I called the Muggle child services people and offered to take you in this summer. They seemed very happy to have you gone, in fact." She frowned. "Were you two in some sort of trouble?"

The twins hastily denied it, and followed Mrs Weasley happily back to King's Cross Station, where the rest of the Weasley family was waiting.

Life with the Weasleys was much, much different than the twins were used to. The meals were plentiful and there never seemed to be a limit to the amount of food in the house. All the Weasley children loved to be outside, and there were many games and seemingly endless hours of soccer, football, and Quidditch. Even the chores were enjoyable; washing dishes, cleaning the house, and even de-gnoming the garden was enjoyable and fun. Jade and Sarah were, for the first time in their life, accepted.

All too soon, though, their letters for Hogwarts arrived, and they had to think about returning to school. Even though they were thrilled to return to the school, they didn't want to leave what they now considered as their home.

They went to Diagon Alley on the week before school started, so naturally, the place was hectic. The stores were completely packed. Even so, Jade and Sarah were having the time of their lives, thriving in all the chaos. When they found out that Harry and Hermione were there too, that only added to their happiness. But as the old saying goes, 'all good things must come to an end'.

It was dusk a few days before their return to school. Jade was walking down the stairs of the Leakey Cauldron to the bar to get something to drink. As she passed Mr and Mrs Weasley's room, she heard low voices arguing. Jade stopped, and stood motionless near the door.

"We can't tell them!" Mrs Weasley whisper-shouted. "It would be too much for them to handle!"

"We can't just keep the truth from them!" Mr Weasley argued. "The girls deserve to know. We can't just pretend we don't know who their parents are, especially now that they're both out!"

"They're two thirteen-year-old girls! They won't understand-"

"Yes they will! They aren't helpless little girls! They have had more experience dealing with this sort of thing than the both of us put together!"

Jade was frozen to the wall, listening to the Weasley's exchange. They were obviously talking about her and Sarah's parents. But why? What was so important about them that it had to be kept a secret?

Suddenly, Jade was aware of another presence nearby. She relaxed only after she realized that it was Sarah. She was holding it in a way that Jade couldn't see the main article. She only saw that it dated a few weeks ago.

"I found it down at the bar," Sarah said quietly. It looked like she was about to cry. Jade was instantly alarmed. She grabbed the newspaper and looked at it. Jade's face lost all color as she gazed at the lead story.

'_SIRIUS BLACK HAS ESCAPED FROM AZKABAN!' _The headline screamed. Sarah looked at Jade miserably.

"How could no one have told us?" She whispered. "Why were we kept in the dark?"

Jade motioned to her sister to listen to the Weasley's still raging argument. It only took Sarah a moment to realize what they were talking about. Without even thinking about it, she knocked on the door.

There was a moment of complete silence in the room afterward. Then the girls heard footsteps, and the door opened. Arthur Weasley was greeted with two girls staring up at him, arms folded. He looked nervously at his wife, and quickly gestured them to come inside. Mrs Weasley sighed, and collapsed into an armchair. Mr Weasley did the same, so Jade and Sarah sat on the couch across from them.

Sarah slammed the newspaper onto the table in front of her. "What the hell?" Sarah demanded. The Weasleys looked at each other.

"We thought it would be for the best if you didn't know about your parents," Mrs Weasley said. Her husband raised his eyebrows at her. She added, "Well, _I _thought it would be for the best."

"How did you expect us not to find out?" Sarah cried. "How were we supposed to go to school without knowing why everyone hated us?"

Still the Weasleys had no answer.

"We want to know." Sarah said firmly. Jade only nodded.

"Fine. Arthur, you tell them." Mrs Weasley got up and went into the suite's bathroom. The door slammed shut, and then they all heard a sob. Mr Weasley eventually met the girls' eyes.

"You're not going to like this one bit," he said.

"We weren't expecting one." Jade said quietly.

Mr Weasley took a breath, and started his tale, one that would leave the twins' lives changed forever.

"Your mother's name is Lyndasty Black. Her family is strictly pure-blood, and they had been in Slytherin for centuries. She was a very kind woman at school, and I was one of the lucky ones who was one of her friends. She was young and vibrant, full of hopes and dreams and ambitions." He sighed, looking back at his memories. "I have a picture if you want to see her."

Mr Weasley walked over to his suitcase and took out a large photo album. When he sat down, he opened it and showed it to the girls. He gestured to the picture on the far right of the page. "That's her." He said. Jade and Sarah looked down to the beautiful young woman in front of them. She had chocolaty brown curls bouncing down to her upper back. Her straight bangs framed her round face, which sported a large and brilliant smile. Her blue eyes were the exact same shade as her daughters, though they were much larger. In the picture, she was leaning against a maple tree, dressed in a standard Hogwarts school uniform, with a blouse, skirt and knee socks. She was carrying a textbook and there was a backpack sitting at her feet.

It was then when Lyndasty Black's daughters turned their attention to a picture next to it. It was two people, one of which their mother. The other was a young man, but they couldn't make out very much of him.

"That would be Sirius," Mr Weasley noticed where their gazes were pointed. "Sirius Black, your father. There's a better picture on the next page."

The girls turned their attention to a photo of a man about the same age as Lyndasty was in her picture. He had shaggy black hair almost going to his chin. He had dark brown eyes that made him look like a puppy. He looked very muscular and strong, with broad shoulders and his muscles visible through his shirt. In this picture, he was sitting down on an armchair that Sarah recognised as being in the Griffindor common room. He was holding a book.

"The two of them met at Hogwarts," Mr Weasley continued. They were in different houses, so naturally they formed a bit of a rivalry. During their third year, I believe, they realized that they actually had a lot in common, so they became friends. They started dating in 5th year, and were married fresh out of school. They had you two a few years later." He sighed. "They were great people. It's too bad they ended up as they did."

"What happened to them?" Jade asked quietly.

"I assume you know about when Harry's parents were killed and You Know Who was destroyed?"

"Obviously."

"There is something more to the story. Your father was their secret keeper, which meant that he was the only one that knew where the Potters lived. He betrayed them to You Know Who." He looked at the expressions of horror on the sister's faces. "I told you that you wouldn't like it. Now, as I was saying, after You Know Who was destroyed, a man named Peter Pettigrew went to go confront Sirius. Peter was one of the Potter's closest friends and knew about what Sirius had done. When Sirius saw him, he-" He paused, composing himself. "He killed him. Along with twelve Muggles."

Jade and Sarah didn't say anything. They simply sat there, waiting for Mr Weasley to finish his story.

"A few months later, Lyndasty Black was at the Leakey Cauldron with a friend. She still hadn't overcome her grief from when Sirius was sent to Azkaban for his crimes. At the pub, a man recognized her from photos in the Daily Prophet. He started pestering her about what her husband had done, and wouldn't leave her alone. Finally, your mother snapped. All of her anger pent up inside of her was released. She killed the man, and was sent away to prison for manslaughter.

"You two were only a year old. Under your mother's orders, you were placed in Muggle foster homes. For reasons only she must know, she wanted the two of you separated."

Mr Weasley sat back, his story finished.

"But why want to tell us now?" Sarah asked. There was a hint of a tear in her eye. "Why not earlier?"

Mr Weasley sighed. He had hoped they wouldn't ask. Pulling himself together, he said the words that would haunt Jade and Sarah for a very long time.

"Because your mother was released on parole yesterday."

**A/N**

**I am soooo sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. I've been out of town and couldn't type this up. I promise that I'll be quick for the next one. Don't eat me. :/ – Lyndasty Black.**

**P.S. Yes, my pen name is also in the story. It's because I like that character. Sue me. **


	8. Chapter 8

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 8

The ride on the Hogwarts Express seemed to take a century for Jade and Sarah. They were alone in a compartment near the back of the train, mostly because they didn't want to face the wrath of their fellow students, who must have found out about their parents.

They heard a knock on the door, and it slid open. Draco Malfoy, of all people, walked into the compartment. He sat down next to Jade, across from Sarah.

"You here to yell at us?" Sarah asked dully. "Or call us freaks?"

"I just thought you must want some company," he said.

"Thanks." Jade sighed. "What are other people saying?"

"That you two are children of murderers and deserve to rot in hell." Draco said casually. "And those were some of the nicer ones."

"Thank you, Draco, for your abject honesty." Sarah said sarcastically. Draco grinned.

"Not a problem."

Surprisingly, the train ride seemed more enjoyable with Draco there. He was, for the first time, sympathetic of their problems. But even so, a dark shroud seemed to be covering Jade and Sarah. Draco, of course, noticed.

"Hey are you two okay?" He asked.

"No." Jade replied evenly. It looked like Draco was going to say something else when the train lurched to a stop.

"What the hell?" Sarah demanded, her face squished against a window pane. She peeled herself off and peered out the window. "Did we his something?"

"I dunno," Jade replied. "And get _off_." Draco had landed on top of her when the train lurched. He grinned cheekily.

"I'm actually quite comfortable here." He said. He definitely deserved the elbow in the ribs he received afterward. "Okay, then, I'll go take a look." Rubbing his side, he slid open the door to the compartment and looked out. He instantly staggered back, slamming the door shut.

"What is it?" Jade asked cautiously. Draco locked the door.

"A Dementor."

"What's a-"

Coldness surrounded the three passengers, almost suffocating them. Jade's question caught in her breath and they all instantly quieted, barely breathing. To their terror, the door unlocked itself and slid open.

Towering above them was a seven foot tall cloaked creature which the girls assumed was a Dementor. Any happiness that was inside of them instantly evaporated. The Dementor entered the small compartment, and if it had eyes it would be looking at the twins, who had backed up against the window. The Dementor raised its arms.

First there was darkness, which both sisters saw. Suddenly, they were moving at an incredible speed. They looked around, and saw that they were in a Muggle car. A woman was holding (holding?) them in her arms. They didn't have time to ask themselves why. The woman kept quietly muttering to herself, "Come on, faster." The car lurched to a stop, and Jade and Sarah found themselves being carried out of the car. They got a good look at the woman, and realized with a shock that it was their mother. They were seeing something that had happened almost twelve years ago.

Their mother was running, and the twins were being slightly shaken. They shifted in their mother's arms so they could see what was happening in front of them.

It was chaos. A house was in flames, and people everywhere were screaming. One man stood out distinctly in front of them. It was Sirius Black. He looked haunted, staring up at the blazing inferno. Another man ran up to Sirius and started yelling something. The girls couldn't make out what they were saying, but got a good look at the other man, who was shorter and much plumper than their father. They both looked very angry.

Lyndasty had stopped, gazing up to the burning building. A few tears descended down her cheeks. As the two men reached for their wands, she had started walking purposely toward them. That was when the street exploded.

Lyndasty was thrown violently back, and clutched her daughters tightly as they landed in the pavement. Neither child was crying for some reason. They were dead silent as the screams around them intensified. When the dust settled, Sirius Black was nowhere to be seen.

"No," Lyndasty whispered, falling to her knees. "No. No, no, no…"

"Come on, you two, wake up," A voice said. "Wake up."

"No…"

The sisters slowly opened their eyes. Draco was standing over them, along with a man they hadn't seen before. The man looked relieved and reached out his arm to help Sarah up. She ignored it and stood up on her own. She instantly felt dizzy, and collapsed onto the seat.

"Here, eat this," the man gave Sarah a slab of chocolate. "It'll help." Sarah looked at it dubiously, but ate it anyways. Jade had gotten up and was sitting across from her sister, also nibbling on a piece of chocolate. The man looked satisfied.

"Good. I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm professor Lupin, your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Jade Black."

"Sarah."

"Yes, I know," he said quietly, more to himself. The sisters glanced at each other.

"Did you two see or hear anything while you were unconscious?" Lupin asked.

Sarah opened her mouth to describe the scene, but Jade cut her off. "No, nothing. Wait, I do remember hearing something. It was like an explosion, I think. What was that about?"

"I don't know." Lupin said too quickly. Jade narrowed her eyes but sat down.

"I should be going," Lupin said. "We'll arrive in about an hour." With that, he walked out of the compartment.

• • • • •

"Why did you lie?" Sarah demanded. She and Jade were outside the day after the incident with the Dementor. It was overcast and drizzling, which left Sarah in a bad mood.

"I don't know. I guess I just wanted to keep it a secret. Besides, worrying people about the thing we saw wouldn't do any good."

"I don't think we'd have to worry about worrying people." Sarah replied, eyeing a group of Ravenclaw girls darkly. They were staring at the sisters and muttering to themselves. When Sarah tuned to them, they all scowled and marched off.

"They'll get over it." Jade said unconvincingly.

"They'd better," was Sarah's only reply. She cracked her knuckles menacingly at a gaggle of first years gaping at the girls. They instantly ran off. Jade sighed.

"I hope."

They walked off to their first class, which was Transfiguration. The Slytherins and the Griffindors had that class together. Jade and Sarah practically ran to the class, trying to ignore the dirty looks they were receiving.

Even with their rush, they were still late for class. Professor McGonnagal looked at them disapprovingly.

"Nice of you two to join us," McGonnagal said icily. "Take your seats."

"There were two desks in the back behind where Harry and Ron were sitting. As soon as McGonnagal turned her back, the two of them turned around.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ron demanded.

"Yeah, we only found out today when we overheard some people talking about it." Harry added. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before, your last names being Black and-"

"I'm sure you're having an enthralling conversation back there, but I think it can wait until your break."

Harry and Ron sheepishly turned back around.

"Someone needs to get laid," Sarah muttered a little too loudly.

"Detention, Sarah." McGonnagal said as she turned around to face the blackboard.

"Already?" Sarah asked, grinning cockily even though she was sure to endure hell later that day. "That's got to be my record." Jade's expression mirrored her sister's.

"No, remember last year when-"

"You two, Jade."

"Dammit."

After dinner, Jade and Sarah were subjected to four hours of torture by Filch. By the time they were finished, their arms were aching and the second floor teachers' washroom was spotless.

"That was painful." Sarah complained as they strode up the corridors, all the while rubbing their arms painfully.

"You think?" Jade replied. They continued walking.

A group of students rounded a corner in front of the girls. There was probably six or seven of them. One of them pointed, and they quickened their pace down the hall.

"Uh oh." Sarah muttered. "This is not going to end well."

Sure enough, as the group got closer, one of them called out, "Well, lookie here, guys." He smiled arrogantly. As they got closer, the sisters saw that they were a mixture of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students. They looked like they were in fifth or sixth year.

"So, it's the famous Black children," the one that just spoke said mockingly. A shiver of déjà vu went down Jade's spine. She'd seen this before.

"Your parents are out of prison, I heard." He said in the same scornful tone. "That must have been a happy reunion."

"Excuse us, but we just need to get by," Sarah tried. The group spread out and blocked the corridor. The one who was talking stayed where he was. He was an older Ravenclaw boy.

"See, we have some talking to do, you and I," he said, taking a step forward. His eyes hardened. "The man your mother killed was my father. And I intend to repay her. Since I can't get to her directly, you two'll have to do."

"I'm sorry about your father, but it wasn't our fault," Jade pleaded. "Just let us go."

"I don't think so."

The boy started marching purposely toward the two girls, drew his wand and went in for the kill.

**A/N**

**Ooh, the tension. R&R please! The reviews are really appreciated. XOXO – Lyndasty Black.**


	9. Chapter 9

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 9

The girls drew their wands, preparing for the imminent fight. The rest of the group of older students closed in around them, forming a semicircle. Hopelessly outnumbered, Jade and Sarah had to devise a plan, and fast.

A jet of red light spurted toward Jade. She ducked, and felt the heat skimming the top of her head. Her hair was probably beyond repair, but now wasn't the time to think about it.

Another red light was sent forward, this time aimed for Sarah's heart. She didn't move quickly enough, and got a stinging cut on her upper arm.

"Enough fun and games," The Ravenclaw boy said. "Let's get started."

"Flippendo!" Jade cried out at the same time as Sarah yelled, "Everte Statum!"

Both wands were aimed at the one firing at them, but he ducked and they hit two people behind him. One was tripped and landed on his backside, and the other violently thrown backwards. The Ravenclaw boy grinned, as if it was all a game to him.

"So, you two know how to play, too?" He asked cockily. "This should be interesting."

He gestured to the boys surrounding them to go in. Jade tried to conjure up a shield charm, but her wand was blasted out of her hand with another jet of red light.

"Oww!" Jade screamed, clutching her severely burned right hand. Her fingers were charred and her palm was a dark red. Sarah got distracted and her wand was flung from her hand, but this time with the Expelliarmus charm. They were surrounded, without weapons, and vulnerable. It was serious.

Jade gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the searing pain in her hand and glanced at Sarah. She nodded, indicating that she knew what to do. Both girls lashed out, Jade with her foot and Sarah with her fist. They caught the overconfident boys unawares, and took two of them down. Another three were out of action before anyone could recover.

But they weren't out of it yet. There were still two left, and the others were regaining their senses. Jade saw her and Sarah's wands lying together near a stone pillar. If only they could get there…

"Stupefy!"

A jet of scarlet light passed overhead and hit the Ravenclaw boy straight in the chest. He staggered back and hit the ground.

Only Jade and Sarah stayed sane. While the others were screeching, trying to figure out where the spell came from, Jade ran for the wands and tossed her sister hers. They sent explosions to the ground where they were standing and soon, their assailants had fled except for the Ravenclaw boy who was lying on the ground, moaning.

The twins looked around for their saviour. Standing on top of a small staircase was none other than Harry Potter. He ran down the steps to where the girls were standing.

"Are you two alright?" He asked as he jogged toward them.

"I am, but Jade seriously needs to get to the hospital wing."

Jade, whose adrenaline rush had died down, was leaning against a stone pillar, clutching her charred hand. Harry practically sprinted over to her.

"Here," he said, taking off his scarf and wrapping it around the girl's hand. "I dunno if that'll help, but it might. Come on."

He took her unwrapped hand and started running forward. She and Sarah followed.

At the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey took one look at Jade's hand and said, "That must have hurt." She told Jade to sit down on one of the empty beds as she busted over to some cabinets.

Jade had to spend the next day in the infirmary. The spell that was used to burn her hand was resistant to the medication Madam Pomfrey was using, so an ugly cast was used to cover it. Sarah was also treated for the burn on her arm.

"You two will have to wear the casts for at least a month, so get used to them," the nurse said. They were discharged just after dinner.

As if the case of Jade's parent's weren't enough, her bulky cast added to her ridicule. Three of the boys who had attacked her and Sarah were expelled, but the rest were only punished severely. Once their sentence was served, they rallied even more people against the sisters. In fact, by the Christmas break, almost no one even went near the girls.

The Saturday before the Christmas break started was a Hogsmeade day. Neither Jade nor Sarah had planned to go. It came up in a conversation between Jade and Harry the Wednesday before.

"I can't wait for Hogsmeade," Harry said. "I'm going to sneak into Zonko's with Fred and George to stock up on some stuff. Where are you headed?"

"I'm not going. Sarah and I are just going to hide out in the dungeons or something."

"Why not?" Harry asked. Jade raised her eyebrows, silently asking him if he needed an answer. Harry took the hint.

"Well, it'll be fun, anyways."

"What does Hermione think of the plan?"

"I haven't told her."

"Good idea."

They laughed for a few moments.

"Hey," Harry asked hesitantly. "Would you go to Hogsmeade if you went with me? We could just hide under the Invisibility Cloak so no one would see us."

"Well, I suppose I could." Jade said. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, are you asking me out?"

"Only if you want me to be." Harry said quickly. Jade smiled.

"I'd love to. What's your master plan for getting us into Hogsmeade?"

"You know the statue of the hunchbacked witch?"

"Yeah."

"Meet me there while everyone else is leaving. The teachers will be all tied up down at the Entrance Hall with all the students there."

"Okay," Jade said happily. "It's a date!"

• • • • •

"Oh, my God," Jade laughed as she and Harry half-ran under the Invisibility Cloak. They were trying not to be too loud, so no one would be suspicious of laughter that came seemingly out of thin air. They had just run out of Zonko's Joke Shop, their pockets rattling with their purchases (they gave the money to George Weasley who bought for them). Jade and Harry had big plans for the objects now in their possession, and were headed to Madam Puddifoot's teashop. If anyone were able to see us, they would probably be scared of the dangerous twinkle in our eyes.

"Okay," Harry said, as he saw a couple through the window getting ready to leave. "As soon as they go out, we head in."

"I know the plan, boss." Jade said.

"Just making sure."

Jade smiled to herself. She hadn't had so much fun for a long time.

The two people left the teashop, and Jade and Harry made their move. The door lingered for a moment as they manoeuvred themselves inside, but no one seemed to notice. They'd gotten in.

"Okay, grab that chair."

Jade obliged, inconspicuously sliding a chair directly below an air vent.

"Okay, you're smaller, so you the Invisibility Cloak will cover all of you up while you do it. I'll hide behind the curtains."

Quickly, he lunged from beneath the Cloak and dived behind a curtain. He needn't have worried. If he was in a clown suit riding a unicorn the patrons of the café wouldn't have torn their gazes away from their companion to look. Everyone there was a couple.

"Alright, I'm ready," Jade muttered quietly so no one would hear. She reached up and slid the air vent open slightly. She grasped the four stink bombs from her pocket in her hand and tossed it into the air vent. She slid it back shut and stepped down from the chair. She stepped closer to the curtains Harry was hiding behind to allow him under.

"We've got a few minutes before they go off." Jade whispered. "It's going to be a biggie."

"Yeah. Remember when Fred and George let off one in the bathroom on the third floor last week?"

"How could I forget? I spent the next three days avoiding the place because of the stench."

They tried to laugh quietly, but several patrons looked up. They stifled their giggles and tried to control themselves.

"So, what should we do for the next three minutes?" Harry asked.

"I dunno." Jade replied. "Whatever."

"Well," Harry said. "How are you doing in your classes?"

"I'm abysmal at Astronomy," Jade said cheerfully. She still kept her voice down. "I just don't get the point of it all."

"There isn't anything at all you understand?"

"Well, I can always see one constellation," Jade hesitated. "I can find Sirius."

"Oh," Harry said awkwardly. Neither of them said anything for a few moments. Jade broke the silence.

"My parents must have pointed it out to me when they-." She stopped herself, "when we were little."

"Yeah."

There was another silence. Jade broke it.

"I'm still in shock, really," she said. All traces of her grin were gone. "When I found out, I tried not to believe it. I tried to think of other things that could have happened, or that there was somehow a mistake. I think I've only just realized the extent of what this means." Her breath caught. She took a moment to compose herself.

Jade continued. "I'm the daughter of murderers, Harry. My father pretty much killed yours. Why don't you hate me?"

"You're not the same as them," Harry insisted. "You're-"

"The same blood runs through my veins. They're a part of me, no matter what anyone says." Jade sighed. Harry had never seen her look so defeated. "I only wish-"

There was a small explosion, and someone screamed. She ran out of a washroom, looking completely disgusted while holding her nose.

"You must have thrown it down toward the washrooms," Harry said, trying to sound nonchalant. It didn't work.

"Yeah." Jade replied. Her face was like stone. They left the teashop unnoticed, with people scrambling to get their things to escape. Neither Jade nor Harry said a word as they marched to Honeydukes to go back to Hogwarts. All they left behind were two sets of footprints in the shallow snow.

**A/N**

**That was fun. R&R please! –Lyndasty Black**


	10. Chapter 10

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 10

Even though their first date had been a bit of a disaster, Jade and Harry tried again. On Christmas day, Jade took her sister's place at the Griffindor table (by covering up her nose ring and putting in extensions to her hair) and spent the whole time with Harry. There was at least one perk to most people hating you – no one talked to her, which left her and Harry to spent the night relatively private.

Slowly, but surely, people had started to speak to the Black sisters. In Potions class, Liza stiffly asked for Jade to pass the eagle entrails, but gave her a small smile. Parvati Patil tentatively asked Sarah if she could study for an exam with her one day. Soon, even though they would never have everyone they used to know back on their side, Jade and Sarah were slowly accepted again.

"I told you," Harry had said one spring morning. "I told you they'd snap out of it."

"I'm glad they did," Jade had replied.

Having their friends back gave the girls new hope. They were able to spend time with other people instead of having to hide in their dorms. Even their academics improved, since they had more confidence in themselves. They were finally having fun.

It was late June, and Jade and Sarah were taking an evening walk through the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Even though they weren't hated anymore, they still liked to spend time with each other.

"How long once we leave school do you figure it'll take for our parents to find us?" Jade asked suddenly. Sarah looked at her, surprised.

"I don't know," She replied. "Why do you suddenly care?"

"I'm just wondering if we should head back with the Weasleys this summer," Jade said. "Or not. That would be the first place they would look for us."

Sarah took a moment to think of what to say. "You really don't want to ever see then, do you?" She asked tentatively.

"No." Jade answered without missing a beat. "I don't. They're murderers, Sarah. They left us to live on our own."

No one said anything for almost half an hour, but Sarah's mind was whirling. She hadn't had the courage to ask Jade about what had happened to her while she was in the Foster care system, but she knew that it must have been bad. Sarah wanted to ask her, but feared how her sister would react.

Finally, Sarah decided. They were family – they were supposed to trust each other.

"Jade," Sarah asked tenderly. Jade looked over upon hearing her sister's tone.

"Yeah?"

"The System was horrible for you, wasn't it?"

Jade said nothing. She had been expecting that question for a long time, and had prepared what she was going to say well. She was going to say that it was the same for her as it was for everyone, that it sucked but was still bearable. She was going to say that sure, a couple people hit her, but that it wasn't bad.

But that's not what Jade should say. She should tell the truth, so she did.

"To tell you the truth, it was horrible. Since I was a little girl I remember that none of the parents really cared about me. Most of them were either drunk or high. I remember once, when I came home from school, my foster father was beating one of the other kids there with a baseball bat. When the ambulance arrived, it was already too late. She was dead." Jade's eyes were like stone. "I was six years old when that happened. And everyone wonders why I'm so screwed up."

"You're not screwed-"

"Yes, I am. So are you. So is everyone who's had to deal with living like that."

"Please tell me that that was one of the worse families."

"They were all bad. You see this?" Jade lifted her reddish hair and revealed a jagged scar on the right side of her neck. Sarah hadn't noticed it before. "That was from when I had a knife thrown at me. If I hadn't moved at the last second, I wouldn't be here right now. I was eight." Sarah silently cursed herself for not noticing it before. As if reading her mind, Jade said, "I don't usually pull my hair back, so I didn't think you'd notice it."

Jade sighed sadly. "I could probably continue for hours about what happened to me, but I don't suppose you want to hear it. So, since I've spilled my guts, what about you?"

"Only once, when I was four. The mom was an alcoholic and loved hitting us. It didn't just hurt me physically, but emotionally, too." Sarah suddenly realized that compared to her sister's experiences, her life was a cakewalk. "I'm sorry. You had a way worse time than me. I shouldn't be complaining."

"It's alright," Jade said. "You were younger than me. That one was probably worse for you."

"It was bad," Sarah admitted. "Like I said, I was hurt. I ended up not trusting anyone, and mostly kept my distance from the others. I scared them sometimes."

They walked in silence for a few moments. "So, we're both pretty screwed up." Jade broke the silence.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Jade nodded thoughtfully. "Didn't we already know that?"

Sarah grinned. "Yeah. But we got to have a deep discussion about our past. That's always fun."

They laughed. Instead of being absorbed in their own thoughts about the other person, they were completely at ease. But, as the old saying goes, all good things have to come to an end.

"Look over there!" Sarah gasped and pointed. Jade whirled around. She saw the unmistakable figure of Ron Weasley being dragged across the grounds by an enormous dog. Two other people, who had to be Harry and Hermione, were running after him.

"We have to help him!"

Jade started running toward them, but Sarah grabbed her arm.

"Wait! Look where they're going!"

Jade stopped, and saw that they were heading toward the Whomping Willow. Ron and the dog had disappeared. Harry and Hermione were having some trouble with the tree.

"What should we do?" Jade asked.

"I don't know."

Suddenly, the tree froze. Jade and Sarah couldn't see how, but they saw their friends jump down a small hole at the base of the tree. Sarah started to move forwards, but this time it was Jade who stopped her.

"Look!"

Someone was running toward the tree, which had started to move again.

"I think its professor Lupin," Sarah said, straining her eyes. Lupin looked at the flailing tree thoughtfully, and then started toward the forest.

"Down!" Jade hissed urgently, and the girls dived for cover beneath a bush. They laid there unmoving until Lupin had walked away, holding a long branch. They wondered what it was for, but then they saw him poke the tree, which froze it again.

As soon as Lupin disappeared, the girls sprinted for the tree before it could unfreeze. Without any hesitation, they dived down the dark tunnel at the base of the tree.

It was dark at the bottom, so Jade and Sarah moved slowly. They heard voices in another room, so they hid behind the doorway. They heard a raspy voice coming from inside. But before they could listen too closely, something behind them moved. Before they had a chance to turn, someone lunged. Their assailant quickly muttered a spell, and the girls' voice died inside of them.

"Who are you?" the person whispered. "What do you-"

Their attacker spun them around. Jade and Sarah saw a woman, with blonde hair and blue eyes. One of the two people they never wanted to see in their lifetime. Lyndasty Black.

"Jade." Lyndasty whispered. "Sarah."

Her grip loosened, and her daughters bolted. They crashed through the door, and came face to face with the second person they never wanted to see.

Sirius Black stood, open-mouthed, staring at his children. He took a small step towards them, and all of Jade's pent up anger for him exploded. She took a long step forward, clenched her fist and punched him in the jaw.

Sirius stumbled back, in both pain and disbelief. He made no move to retaliate. He knew he deserved much more for what he did to her.

Lyndasty Black walked to her husband, where she and he stood facing their children. Jade had stepped back to Sarah, holding her hand. Her knuckles were split and were bleeding. Lyndasty took a few tentative steps forward.

"Let me take a look at that," she said. Jade recoiled.

"Get away from me."

Even though her tone was quiet, there was no mistaking the ice in her voice. Lyndasty stepped back, her face unreadable.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were watching their exchange in dead silence. Ron had even forgotten about his injured leg. Professor Lupin was standing a little ways back, deciding it would be better not to intervene.

"Which one are you," Asked Sirius, looking at Jade. He was rubbing his jaw tenderly.

"Jade." She said. "And you deserved what you got."

"I completely agree with you," Sirius replied evenly. "But if I could just explain it all to you-"

"We don't want an explanation." Sarah retorted. "I honestly don't care. You killed people. You killed people, and left us to fend for ourselves. You don't mean anything to us."

"Sarah-"

"I don't want to know what you have to say. We only came down here when we saw our friends were in trouble. Now that we know they're okay, we'll leave. Have a nice life."

They had started to walk away when Sirius spoke once more.

"I didn't kill those people."

Jade and Sarah half turned around.

"I can prove I didn't."

The sisters looked at each other, and Sarah shrugged.

"Okay." Sarah said. Jade looked unhappy, but didn't leave.

"Fine. Convince us."

Sirius met Jade's eyes, and realized that there probably wasn't anything he could say to get her to forgive him. Even so, he began his story.

**A/N**

**I was typing all day to get this one finished, and now my hand is cramping. **** You'd better have enjoyed this one. R&R please! –Lyndasty Black**


	11. Chapter 11

I DO NOT OWN HARRT POTTER

Chapter 11

Once Sirius had finished his story, there was a very stunned silence. Then Sarah spoke up.

"Sirius."

She spoke clearly, her stony expression fixed on her father. "You escaped Azkaban because you realized that Pettigrew was still alive. You could have done it at any time. So why didn't you come for us?"

Sirius didn't have an answer. He sighed, and closed his eyes. Lyndasty, who had been silently listening, stepped forward.

"Sarah," she said softly. "Sirius was-"

"Oh, I don't want to hear your crap," Sarah said roughly. "He didn't do what he was sent to Azkaban for, but you did. You killed someone. And that isn't something I can forgive."

Lyndasty stepped back, head bowed. She knew that everything her daughter said was completely true, but it still cut through her like an icy blade. A tear escaped her closed eyes.

"What a touching reunion," a cold voice sneered. Everyone jumped as professor Snape slid off the Invisibility cloak he was wearing, and pointed out his wand. He quickly disarmed Sirius and Lupin and their wands flew into his outstretched hand. "Very entertaining. You could be a soap opera."

"Snivilus," Sirius jeered. "Why don't you go and play with your chemistry set. We've got things to do."

"I'm sure you do." Snape turned to Lupin. "I always knew you were the one who helped him, Lupin. I told the headmaster, but he said you wouldn't do such a thing." He looked at him mockingly. "Like I've always said, you can never trust a werewolf."

Professor Lupin took a deep breath, trying to keep in control. "Severus, you must have not heard the whole story. If you could just let us explain all of it –"

"Oh, I don't need to know anything. In fact, all I have to do is call over the Dementors. I'll bet they would be very pleased to see you. They might even give you a little kiss."

Sirius paled, and Snape sneered. He turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"You three are always getting in trouble. I'll be sure to add into my report to the Ministry that you encouraged him."

"Professor, it's true, you didn't hear-" Hermione started, but Snape had already turned to the Black sisters.

"I'll bet you were also helping your father into the school." He said. His eyes glinted in triumph. "Maybe the Dementors will give you a kiss, too."

Jade and Sarah drew their wands at the same time. Before he had a chance to disarm them, there was a loud explosion and Snape was violently thrown back against the far wall. He looked unconscious.

"You attacked a teacher!" Hermione gasped after a tense pause. "Oh, you are going to be in so much trouble."

"Good job," Sirius tried and failed to smile. Jade ignored the unconscious teacher and looked at Sirius.

"You didn't give us any evidence that the story you told was true." Jade said. "Prove it."

"I will," Sirius said. He marched across the room, stepped over Snape, pointed to Ron "You, boy, give me your rat."

Ron hesitated. "The spell I'm about to perform won't hurt him if he really is a rat." Ron waited another moment, but he handed Scabbers over. The rat was squealing loudly. Sirius muttered an incantation and suddenly, the squeaking stopped. The rat started getting bigger and bigger, and soon the occupants of the room saw a short, fat man with very nervous eyes.

"Have I proved it?" Sirius asked. He had a murderous glint in his eye as he held Pettigrew's arm.

"Yes." Jade said emotionlessly. "But that doesn't mean you're forgiven."

Peter Pettigrew was squirming, trying desperately to be free. Sirius threw him down in disgust. Pettigrew tried to make a break for it, but Lupin caught him by the scruff of his neck. Lupin threw him down again.

"Jade," Pettigrew said desperately, crawling up to her. Jade backed away with the same amount of disgust as her father.

"Get away from me, creep."

"Sarah," Pettigrew turned to her, but Sarah's venomous glance stopped him.

"Harry," The man finally turned to Harry, who just stood there. Sirius stepped forward.

"How dare you speak to him? After what you did to his family?" Sirius grabbed Pettigrew once more and threw him aside. Pettigrew cowered there, covering his face with his arms.

"You obviously care more about Harry than you do for us," Sarah said. She didn't sound mad at all, only as if she was stating a fact. "But that's cool. We get it."

"We do care about you." Lyndasty insisted. This time she didn't bother walking over to them. "If that – that _creature_" she gestured to Pettigrew who was still lying on the floor, "hadn't betrayed the Potters that night, we wouldn't be here right now. We would be a family." Her voice broke on the last word. Sirius put a comforting arm around her.

Sarah strode toward the trembling man who had thoroughly ruined her life. "Is this true?" She demanded, even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"Yes." Peter's whispered reply seemed to radiate through the room. "But I didn't want to!" he continued hastily. "The Dark Lord had ways of making people do what he wishes. He would have killed me!"

"Then you should have died!" Sirius roared, but he wasn't the only one to say it. Jade had marched up to the man and shouted it at the same time. She glanced quickly at Sirius but hastily looked back at Pettigrew. "You should have died instead of betraying them. You were their friend. They would have died for you."

Jade didn't know how she knew it, but she did know that she was right. She'd seen pictures of Sirius Black and his group of friends, and knew that they were all very close. She glared at Pettigrew with utter disgust.

Sirius was also glaring at him. "You deserve to die," he spat. He looked at professor Lupin and then to Lyndasty. "Shall we do it now?"

"That's a wonderful idea, Sirius," Lyndasty peered at Pettigrew almost hungrily. She stepped forward.

"Stop!"

Harry ran forward, joining the crowd around Pettigrew. "Don't kill him."

Everyone looked at him incredulously.

"Harry, this man all but killed your parents!" Sirius said.

"I know that," Harry continued. "But I don't think my dad would want his best friends to become murders because of it. You can't kill him."

Harry refused to meet Jade's disbelieving stare. He gazed fixedly at his godfather.

"Bless you, child," Pettigrew unsteadily got up and stumbled over to Harry.

"Get off!" Harry shouted, backing away. "When we get up, the Dementors can have you. You'll be sent to Azkaban."

Pettigrew's grateful expression quickly faded. He looked terrified throughout the entire trip through the tunnel.

As they emerged from the tunnel at the base of the Whomping Willow, Sarah looked up. The full moon shone unusually brightly through the branches of the tree. _Wait a minute,_ Sarah thought, her pulse quickening. _Full moon?_

"Remus!"

Sirius' cry shattered the serene silence of the grounds. Professor Lupin was hunched over, obviously in pain.

"Oh, no." Sarah breathed. She and her friends slowly backed away from the man transforming into a werewolf.

"Run!" Lyndasty cried as she drew her wand. "Get out of here!" She ran to go help her husband, who was wrestling to control the newly changed werewolf.

Jade and Sarah hesitated, wanting to help, but Lupin turned toward them. His glowing eyes gave them all the convincing they needed and they fled up to the castle, not looking back.

• • • • •

"We have them locked up in the astronomy tower," the nervous voice of the Minister of Magic drifted over to the girls. They pressed their ears to the door, listening.

"Excellent." Jade and Sarah tensed as they heard Snape's greasy voice. "The Dementors will be pleased."

"Potter and two of his friends are in the hospital wing, but we still have to track down the Black children. Do you think they're alright?"

"Oh, they're probably wandering the grounds, waiting for the Imperius curse to wear off. I'm sure that's what their parents used to get them to cooperate."

The voices got fainter, and after another minute, Sarah opened the door. She and her sister exited the cramped broom closet they hid in and ran across the hall. They went into a doorway, trying not to be seen.

"The Astronomy tower," Sarah breathed. "We can get up there, right?"

"We could," Jade said. "But should we?"

"We have to!" Sarah said urgently. "They suck. We both agree on that. But we can't let them get the Dementor's kiss for it."

"Okay. Let's go."

They crept down the halls, darting behind statues whenever someone came along. It took them half an hour to make it up to the Astronomy tower. Jade leaned over the edge, and gasped.

"The Dementors are on their way!" she cried, and she and Sarah ran across the roof of the Astronomy tower. They skidded to a halt at the end, where a door with a small barred window near the top. Sarah peered in to see her haggard parents staring unbelieving at her. "They're in here!"

"Reducto!" Jade exclaimed. The lock on the door blasted off and the door swung open.

Lyndasty and Sirius stepped out cautiously. Their eyes widened as they saw their daughters.

"I don't know how you're going to get out, but I'm sure you'll figure something out. But you have to be quick, the Dementors –"

A huge shape emerged from the sky. After the initial moment of shock, they realized that it was a Hippogriff. And on its back were Harry and Hermione. They looked equally shocked as they landed on a clear area on the roof. The two of them ran forward.

"I guess that's how we're going to escape," Sirius' eyes lit up. Harry and Hermione had reached them.

"We saved Buckbeak!" Harry cried joyously. "Now you can get out."

"Thank you, Harry, Hermione," Lyndasty smiled for the first time at them, and suddenly Sarah felt sad. Lyndasty saw her expression and rushed to her.

"Sarah, Jade," she said sensitively. "I will be eternally grateful for your help. And I'm sure Sirius will be, too."

"Sure." Sarah said emotionlessly. "You'd better get going. The Dementors will be here soon."

Lyndasty took one last look at her daughters and smiled lovingly. "We do care about you, even though it may seem like we don't. And even if you won't like this, we will see each other again."

Still smiling, she and Sirius hopped onto the Hippogriff's back and took off. Buckbeak spread his wings, took off, and sped out into the night, toward the brilliant full moon.

**A/N**

**We **_**will**_** be seeing more of Lynn and Sirius, but that's for another time. R&R please! –Lyndasty Black**


	12. Chapter 12

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 12

Jade sat alone in the train's compartment. Sarah had gone to find the washroom a few minutes ago, and Jade was bored without someone to talk to. She started zoning out and absorbed herself in her thoughts. She recalled to her mind the conversation that took place at the end of last year.

"_I'm sorry about your parents," Harry had said cautiously. They were about to leave King's Cross station for the summer. "And I'm sure that Sirius doesn't care about me more than he does for you."_

"_It sure doesn't seem like it, but thanks anyways." Jade smiled faintly._

"_So," Harry moved closer to her. "Are we still okay?"_

_Jade smiled more broadly. "Of course. We're okay."_

"_Great." Harry grinned, too, but it quickly faded. "Are you sure you don't want to stay at the Weasley's this summer? I'll miss you."_

"_Yeah, I'm sure," Jade assured him. "Sarah and I want to spend time by ourselves."_

"_Okay," Harry frowned. "But you'll always be welcome there. If you need anything, you can come."_

"_I know."_

Jade returned to the present as Sarah slid the door open and went inside. "Sorry. There was a line up."

"S'okay."

Sarah sat down across from her sister, but didn't say anything for awhile. She studied her sister's face intently. To a normal observer, Jade would look like a regular fourteen year old girl, but Sarah looked deeper than that. She saw that her dark red hair was a little messy, like she hadn't cared to brush it that morning. Jade's blue eyes were red rimmed, and looked like she was about to cry. There were dark circles under her eyes that she had tried to cover with makeup, and her clothes were wrinkled and dirty. Her eyes were staring fixedly out the window as if she wanted to lose herself in the passing blur.

"What?" Jade demanded defensively as she tore her eyes away from the window and looked at her sister.

Sarah could have asked her about how much the incident last June had affected her, or how she felt about their mother promising to see them again someday soon. Or she could have started talking about how she felt about it all, and how she'd been crying herself to sleep most nights. She should have opened up to her sister.

"Nothing," Sarah sighed. They both turned to the blur through the window and didn't speak again throughout the entire ride.

• • • • •

Jade entered the Slytherin Common room exhausted. It was only a month into the school year, and she was already falling behind in her school work. It was well after midnight, and Jade had nearly been caught sneaking into the library to try to catch up on her studies. She's smuggled an armload of books from the library in her book bag, which she tiredly dumped onto one of the coffee tables in the common room. She glanced at the practically overflowing backpack, and then at the clock. It was 1:48 a.m. Jade sighed, and prepared for the fifth sleepless night that week alone.

Jade tiresomely took all the books out of her bag and spread them out on the table. _Chancing Charms, a Dummy's Guide to Transfiguration, How Not To Fail Potions, _and _Astronomy for Beginners_ were just a few of the many books she had 'borrowed' from the library. Jade grabbed _Astronomy for Beginners_, and started to read.

_Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, nebula, star clusters and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere._ Already Jade was bored. Why do we have to learn this anyways? She asked herself. She tossed the book onto the floor.

Several hours later, Jade was on _How Not To Fail Potions.___This author definitely didn't have Professor Snape teaching them, because it didn't say anything in it about teachers failing you just because they feel like it.

_They are used to heal, bewitch or poison people._ Really? I didn't know, Jade thought. She continued reading. _Potions are generally spells in liquid form, capable of causing a variety of effects._ That's what the words were supposed to say, but that's not what Jade read. The letters were floating around the page, letters seeming to re-arrange themselves. The girl couldn't understand it. She was, for some reason, scared. _What's happening?_ She asked herself, looking around frantically. _God, I need to get more sleep._ She could still see clearly, but then she looked at the Hogwarts crest hanging from the ceiling. The school's motto's letters were re-arranged into a jumbled mess.

Jade involuntarily dropped her book. She shakily lay on the smooth leather couch and closed her eyes. I'll just rest my eyes for a minute, she thought. As soon as I open my eyes, everything will be fine...

Jade didn't realize that she'd fallen asleep, but she definitely knew it when she was being woken up. Someone was roughly shaking her shoulders.

"Wake up," Draco's voice said, but Jade didn't see him. "Wake up!"

"Go away," Jade moaned, but the shaking didn't stop. She reluctantly opened her eyes to see the worried faces of several members of her house. Draco's was the closest, and he had his hands on her shoulders. Jade was instantly annoyed; couldn't she just get a bit of sleep that night?

"Jade, it's one o'clock," Draco said. "You missed Charms, History of Magic, and Potions. Snape won't be happy."

"Great," Jade groaned, sitting up. She was still disoriented by last night's strange experience, and she was a little dizzy. "Wait a second, one o'clock?"

"You missed lunch, too."

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"We tried this morning, but you were completely out of it. I thought it'd be best to let you sleep."

"Thanks."

Jade stood up. There were still some books littered around the coffee table she was working at, and the book she was reading the night before was on the floor, still open to the page she was reading.

"I should get my books," Jade muttered, and pushed her way through the small crowd around her.

"Jade, hang on–"

Jade was already going up the stairs to her dorm, taking them two at a time. She opened the door to her room, but didn't bother closing it. She needed to know if what had happened to her the night before was real or not. She opened the first book she could find, the _Alice in Wonderland_ book she'd received from Hermione last Christmas. She opened it to the first page.

It should have read, _'Down the rabbit hole,' _but instead all Jade could see was '_Wond het bitbar leoh.' _Something was definitely wrong.

"Jade?" Liza was standing hesitantly at the doorway to their room. She tentatively walked in and closed the door behind her. She sat on her bed, which was next to Jade's. "Are you alright?"

Jade looked up and Liza almost gasped. Jade's eyes had dark circles around her eyes like she hadn't slept in weeks. She looked visibly thinner than she was at the beginning of the year, so her face looked haunted. "No, Liza," Jade said. "I'm not okay."

Liza grabbed Jade's arm and pulled her up. "I know we're not that close, but I can still tell that you need some help. You're not going to your classes today. You're coming with me." Liza marched her out the door to their room and went down the stairs. In the common room, Jade kept her eyes on her feet to avoid the curious stares from her classmates. She could practically feel Draco's eyes burning into the back of her head. She only relaxed after she and Liza exited the common room.

Liza had a grim look on her face as the two of them made their way across the school. She still hadn't removed her hand from Jade's arm, as if she was worried that Jade would try to make a break for it. Neither of them spoke until Jade realized where they were headed.

"The headmaster's office?" Jade asked. "Really?" You think I'm so messed up that we need to go to the most powerful wizard in existence?"

"Yes."

Jade decided not to pursue the matter further. Liza's greatest quality was definitely her stubbornness. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

It took ten minutes to walk to Dumbledore's office, and throughout that whole time, Jade was silently rehearsing what she was going to say to the Headmaster. _"Professor, I'm sorry about missing my classes. I've just been so tired there last couple weeks. I'm sure I'll be fine after a good night's sleep. Well, I'd better get going to my Transfiguration class. I've got an essay to hand in." _Not that she'd finished it or anything.

They'd arrived at the gargoyle at the base of Dumbledore's office. Liza looked at Jade sheepishly.

"Is there any chance that you know the password?"

"Nope. Oh well, I guess I should be getting back–" Jade tried to escape but Liza didn't give up that easily.

"Oh, no." Liza grabbed her arm again. "If we have to, we'll wait."

Jade was going to protest but the glint in Liza's eyes showed that she would not back down. "I need to go to the washroom," Jade said. Liza's eyes narrowed, but she said. "Okay. Just so you know, I'm waiting outside so you don't make a break for it." Jade tried to smile at her, but it came out more like a grimace. She walked across the hall to the ladies' washroom.

Once inside, Jade broke down. She slid onto the floor and sat there against a grimy wall for a few minutes. She didn't do anything. She just closed her eyes. She was brought back out of a reverie when someone pounded on the door.

"Are you okay in there?" Liza's worried voice called through the closed door. Jade stood back up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Gimme another minute."

Jade put her hands on the sides of one of the sinks in the washroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She was horrified to realize that that was how she looked to others. No wonder Liza was worried. As she looked into the mirror, she inspected the long knife scar on the side of her neck. It would forever be a reminder to what her parents had unknowingly put her through.

Liza pounded on the door again. "If you're not out in one minute, I'm going to assume you're dead and call someone. Hurry _up."_

"Coming," Jade replied, and exited the washroom.

"I didn't hear a flush," Liza said accusingly, but not in the _you totally left the stuff there_ kind of way but the _what where you doing in there?_ way. But she couldn't say anything else because they heard footsteps coming toward them.

"Where on earth have you two been?" Professor McGonnagal demanded. She had a scowl on her face and her hands on her hips. "You two should have been in class twenty minutes ago."

_Twenty minutes? _Jade thought incredulously. _How has it been that long? _Fortunately, Liza spoke up.

"I came to see the headmaster," she said calmly, but with determination in her voice. "I'm worried about my friend."

Jade looked up at the word friend to see Liza and the Professor staring at her. Professor McGonagall's scowl evaporated and a worried expression appeared on her face.

"Alright," she said, all the severity gone from her face. "You are both excused from your afternoon classes. Come with me."

She led them back to the stone statue that guarded the Headmaster's office. "Cockroach clusters," She said commandingly. It would have been funny to hear the professor say that with such a serious look on her face if the setting wasn't so intense. The stone gargoyle started to move. Professor McGonnagal gestured for the two girls to go in.

Once the three of them were at the door to Dumbledore's office, professor McGonnagal told them to stop. "Wait here for a moment," she said, and entered the office. Liza looked guiltily at Jade.

"I didn't want to do this," she said. "I just wanted to help you."

"I know. It's fine." Jade's tone didn't really make it seem like it was all fine, but Liza didn't have time to respond. Just then, the door re-opened.

"The Headmaster will see you now," Professor McGonnagal said, and gestured for them to go in. The girls entered, to see Professor Dumbledore waiting for them.

**A/N**

**Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry that it took so long to update. I've been really busy and haven't been at home enough type it up quickly. I'll get the next one up ASAP. –Lyndasty Black**

**P.S. – This is my longest chapter so far. I'm hoping to make the chapters about this long or longer. So you don't feel disappointed when you wait a week for the next chapter and see half a page of words.**

**P.P.S – And all the reviews are really appreciated! It shows me that you like my story and it encourages me to write. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 13

The headmaster surveyed the two girls as they entered his office. His eyes were immediately drawn to Jade, and his eyebrows furrowed. He didn't say anything, though, until Liza and Jade took their seats in front of his desk.

"You wanted to see me, Miss Dunst?" Professor Dumbledore asked politely. "Though I am under the impression that Miss Black doesn't." Before Jade had a chance to say anything, Liza piped up.

"Yes, professor," Liza glanced hesitantly at Jade, but continued anyways. "All year, Jade's been acting really different. She's really falling behind in her classes, and doesn't really talk to anyone anymore. She looks like death" – She looked apologetically at Jade – "And never seems to get any sleep. She's been like that ever since the end of last year. I was hoping that you would be able to help her."

Liza settled back in her chair, her speech finished. There were a few minutes of silence as Professor Dumbledore studied Jade intently. Jade felt as if he was actually looking into her soul. She had started to squirm uncomfortably as the door to the study suddenly opened.

"You wanted to see me Professor–" Sarah started to say as she walked into the office. She stopped as she saw Jade and Liza peering at her quizzically. "Um, Professor Flitwick said that you wanted to talk to me." She stood hesitantly in the doorway. Professor Dumbledore smiled and flicked his wand, and a third chair appeared next to Jade's. Sarah sat down, looking questioningly at Jade, who shrugged.

"Now, Miss Dunst," Dumbledore turned back to Liza. "I appreciate your coming to see me, but I must ask that you leave the tree of us to speak in private. If they wish, Jade and Sarah can tell you about it later, but they may wish to keep it to themselves." Liza nodded, and stood up. She half-smiled at Jade, and hastily left the room.

"So," Dumbledore seemed oddly at ease, while Jade and Sarah sat rigidly still in their seats. "Not that we're alone, we should get started." Dumbledore paused, as if thinking of what to say. "I've been watching the two of you this year," he continued. "I don't say this to cause offence, but Sarah has been much batter at hiding her problems that you have, Jade." Jade said nothing, but Sarah shifted slightly in her seat. Dumbledore looked at her searchingly.

"Although," Dumbledore said, "Sarah, I do believe that you have just as many problems as your sister."

There was a moment of silence while Jade and Sarah looked at each other uneasily. They hadn't told Dumbledore about their meeting with their parents at the end of the year before, and weren't planning on it. They'd sworn Harry, Ron and Hermione to secrecy once it was all over. They were all silent until Jade mustered up the courage to speak.

"Professor, we're fine," Jade said. "We've just had some stuff happen to us, and it's just been a rough year. We'll be fine."

"No, you're not," Dumbledore said sharply. "What about your little incident last night? You seemed very distressed."

"I put a spell on you."

"What!?" Jade furiously exclaimed. "You can't do that! It's outrageous!"

"It was the only way to get you to come see me."

"You could have just called me to your study. You didn't have to-"

"Yes I did. You might not have come."

"Well…" Jade wanted vehemently to deny the accusation, but couldn't. She'd skipped too many detentions to be considered as trustworthy. She avoided answering. "Why did you want to see me?"

"I wanted to discuss something with you."

"Like I said before, we're fine," Jade insisted. "Really. It's just-"

"Jade, maybe we aren't okay." Sarah slowly said. She was tugging on her lip with her teeth, obviously nervous. "We've –" she looked hesitantly at Dumbledore, "– we've been through some crap lately."

"If you're referring to the incident of last year, 'crap,' is an understatement."

Sarah looked incredulously at Dumbledore. "Who told you?" she demanded. "Only Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew. Professor Snape didn't remember that he saw us."

"Yes, he did." Dumbledore replied. "It _is_ possible for a teacher to lie."

"But – why didn't he give us detention?" Sarah asked. She still had a disbelieving look on her face.

"Because I told him not too. I knew that you had much more pressing matters to think about."

"Really, we're fine," Jade insisted. "Yes, we finally met mum and dad. I don't care about them."

"Yes you do." Sarah sighed. Jade turned her eyes on her sister. "You don't like them – that's for sure – but you were affected by what happened, just like I was."

_Traitor,_ Jade mouthed at her sister, but the look in her eyes said that she didn't mean it. Then a look of sadness twisted her features. "Professor, you know what they did. How can you expect us not to be affected by it?"

"I do expect you to feel something because of it," Dumbledore said. "But it isn't good for you to keep all of your anger and contempt inside you. That's why when I saw Jade had come here, I decided that it was time."

Dumbledore abruptly stood up. Jade and Sarah were taken aback, and looked at each other enquiringly. Dumbledore walked off to a cupboard to the right of his desk. He opened it, and pulled out a shallow stone basin. He set it on the desk so that the Black sisters could see its contents. There was a silvery substance slowly trickling around inside, and both girls had the sudden desire to touch it, to see what it felt like. But they knew better than to poke some unknown substance.

"This is a Pensieve," Dumbledore explained. The girls were staring at it curiously. "Have you ever felt that you simply couldn't fit any more thoughts into your head?" the girls were about to shake their heads, but the Headmaster didn't pause to let them answer. "This Pensieve lets you store your memories there, to review and watch whenever you'd like. I would like to show you a few memories of your parents. It's a short one, but it should show you something. Would that be alright?"

Sarah nodded slowly. Jade hesitated, but then answered, "Okay."

Dumbledore tapped the Pensieve lightly with his wand. "Go ahead," he said with a smile. The girls looked at each other once more, and then unanimously touched the silvery liquid swirling below them. The world lurched suddenly, and the twins spiralled inside the Pensieve.

It started off dark, but it gradually grew lighter. The girls saw, to their surprise, the one of Hogwarts' courtyards, where they saw the young versions of Sirius and Lyndasty Black. Their fingers intertwined as they gently kissed. They were smiling broadly as they broke apart.

"So," Lyndasty said teasingly. "How was the Divination exam?"

"Horrible," Sirius groaned. "I can't believe I even signed up for that load of crap."

Lyndasty let out a tinkling laugh. "I told you not to. But no, the almighty James was taking it, so it must be okay."

"Would you stop calling him that? He's my best friend."

"And I'm fine with that, but it doesn't mean I have to like him."

Sirius sighed, but still had a smile on his face. "I suppose he can be a pain sometimes. And I mean _sometimes._ He's usually fine."

"Okay." They kissed again.

"So," Sirius said casually, "how was your Transfiguration exam?"

"I don't think I failed," Lyndasty said hopefully.

"Always looking on the bright side, I see."

Lyndasty laughed her chiming laugh. "I love you."

The memory faded as the two of the embraced. Suddenly, the sisters were back in the Headmaster's office where professor Dumbledore was silently waiting for them.

"They were good people," The headmaster said softly. "It wasn't their fault that the Dark Lord came and ruined their lives."

"I'm sorry, professor," Jade's face was stony, but it looked like it was fighting to hold back tears. "But I can't believe that."

She glanced quickly at Sarah, and swiftly exited the office.

**A/N**

**That took FOREVER! I am so sorry, but I haven't been on the computer a lot, and I had a crushing amount of writer's block. But I'm back, and will have the next chapter up ASAP! –Lyndasty Black**


	14. Chapter 14

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 14

"Jade!"

Jade started at the whisper coming from somewhere to her right. She turned in alarm, and sighed when she realized who it was.

"God, Harry," she gasped. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," Harry frowned. "I won't."

Seeing the hurt look on Harry's face, Jade smiled. "Sorry. I've just been kinda jumpy lately."

"S'okay. Me, too." Harry sighed dejectedly.

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry," Jade bit her lip, remembering that she wasn't the only one with problems. "This sounds bad, but I sorta forgot. About the Tournament thing."

"Yeah, you 'forgot'. Sure." Harry scowled. "See you around."

Harry turned and walked away. Jade just stood there, an unbelieving look on her face. _What was up with Harry these past few weeks?_ She asked herself. _Every time I've tried to talk to him, he's snapped at me or brushed me off. Did I say something? Did I forget about something? What did I do?_

Jade was worring over Harry's strange reaction all throughout the day. She didn't have any time to speak to him, though, because the only class she had with him was Potions, and she didn't dare try to get up and talk to him on Snape's watch. She had bit through her lip while gnawing on it in worry.

Just before dinner, Jade decided to take a walk out on the grounds. The December air was crisp and a thin layer of snow covered the ground. Jade was thankful that she had her sweater with her as she made her was toward the Forbidden Forest.

Unlike most of her classmates, Jade wasn't afraid of the Forest, at least the outskirts anyways. She enjoyed walking through the more thin area of the trees, where she could still see some of the castle but wasn't noticed by the occasional passerby. It was quiet there, unlike in the school.

Jade's breath turned to steam when she slowly exhaled. She was about to head back to the castle when she heard a twig snap. She froze, and slowly turned to her right. There was a cloaked figure standing about thirty feet away, his back turned, and looked like he was watching the castle. The figure didn't seem to have noticed her. Jade's breath caught, and she pressed herself tight against the tree. Jade was planning her escape route away from the person when they suddenly spoke.

"Hello, Jade." It wasn't a _he_, but a _she_. Jade recognised the smooth voice instantly.

"Hello, Lyndasty," Jade replied stiffly as she emerged from her hiding spot. The woman turned, and pulled down her hood. Her hair was still blonde, but had some brown roots poking out from her scalp. Jade only just realized that her mother must have dyed her hair when she was let out. Her caramel skin had creases and lines in it, and looked extremely tired.

"You can call me mom, or mother," Lyndasty said softly. "Or even Lynn."

"I'd rather not."

"That's understandable." Lyndasty sighed. "I know you don't want to see me, but I had to come. Sirius would have come, but I had to keep him hidden. The Ministry wants to capture me, too, but I'm less recognized than him."

"Why does the Ministry want you?" Jade asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"They came to my apartment in London to question me about Sirius' escape. Naturally, I knew where he was, and I've never been very good at lying. I took off before they could get to me. Now they think I helped with his escape, and now I'm almost as wanted as him."

"Did you help him?"

"No. He turned into his animagus form and escaped that way. He swam to shore."

Lyndasty noticed Jade's gaze fixed curiously on her roots. "I dyed it after I ran. I think I'll just dye it back to brown. Sure, the Ministry might find me, but at least I'll look good." She tried to smile, but it quickly faded at Jade's stony glare.

"Why are you here?" she demanded.

"Sirius received a letter from Harry over the summer. It had some interesting things in it. Have you seen him anywhere?"

"No," Jade muttered, suddenly very quiet. "I don't know where he is."

Lyndasty looked at her worriedly. "Are you alright? Is-"

"I'm fine!" Jade snapped. "What are these 'interesting things' you're talking about?"

Lyndasty pursed her lips, but didn't comment further. "Harry had a dream during the summer about the Dark Lord."

"But he's dead," Jade said. "Isn't he?"

"No," Lyndasty said. "I don't think he's human enough to properly die. He's just weak. In Harry's dream, the Dark Lord was with Wormtail. He was plotting to regain power. I'm here to speak to Dumbledore."

"But," Jade spluttered, "He'll call the Ministry! Have you arrested!"

Lyndasty smiled thinly. "Don't worry. The headmaster knows that Sirius and I are innocent."

"Okay," Jade said slowly. "But how will You-Know-Who get his power back?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm here to find out."

• • • • •

As soon as her mother was out of sight, Jade bolted up to the castle. Her heart was pounding as she tore through the grounds at breakneck speed. She raced up to the Great Hall, where the rest of the school was currently having dinner. She stopped at the door, and took a breath to calm herself. Then she opened the doors.

She walked over to the Griffindor table, where her sister was in conversation with the Weasley twins. Sarah looked quizzically at Jade as she walked up.

"I need to talk to you," Jade muttered. Sarah immediately got up and followed her out into the Entrance hall.

"What happened?" Sarah asked breathlessly.

"I had a little chat with our mother…" Jade quickly recited what Lyndasty had told her.

"You-Know-Who can't return," Sarah said desperately. "It would be horrible."

"I know. But it's not like we can do anything about it. We'll just have to sit back and let it all play out."

"Yeah, I suppose." Sarah sighed. "Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving."

"Wait," Jade said. Sarah looked at her curiously.

"What?"

"I want to talk to you about something," Jade started, but she glanced over Sarah's shoulder. Harry was standing to the right of the doors to the Great Hall, chatting with Ron. Jade pursed her lips.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"Never mind. I'm starved, aren't you?" Sarah narrowed her eyes at Jade, who shifted nervously.

"Please don't lie to me," Sarah said pleadingly. Jade shook her head.

"It's nothing. Come on."

Sarah narrowed her eyes, but followed her sister into the Great Hall. She noticed that Jade walked all the way over to the right, around the pair talking on the other side, looking anywhere but at them.

• • • • •

The Griffindor common room was screaming in triumph as Harry entered it. He was cut, bruised, and grinning as he hoisted the golden egg into the air. Everyone was cheering, ecstatic that one of their own had gotten the best results in the first Tri-Wizard Tournament task. Harry was being pulled around the room, being congratulated, his hands shaken vigorously, and clapped on the back. He was about to faint when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him to the entrance to the common room, which was open to let some air into the packed room.

"I thought you might need a break," Sarah said as she let go of Harry's arm.

"Thanks," he replied gratefully. "It was getting pretty overwhelming."

They were both silent for a moment, catching their breath. After a minute, Harry noticed the hard look on Sarah's face.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"Yes, actually." Sarah said, turning to him. "What did you do to make Jade so upset?"

"What?" Harry asked, confused. "I never-"

"Well, you did something. She's been avoiding you like the plague. Obviously you're too stupid to notice." Harry widened his eyes. Sarah almost never said anything that mean. "I'm mean when I have to be," Sarah said as if reading his mind. "Especially when it comes to my sister."

"I honestly don't know-"

"Then find out. And fix it, before I get really mad."

All Harry could do was stand there, dumbstruck, as Sarah stalked off into the still-celebrating common room. He was about to go back inside when a voice stopped him.

"Harry?"

Harry turned, and the second Black sister stepped out from behind a pillar. Jade smiled tentatively.

"I heard what Sarah said," She grimaced. "Sorry about that."

"S'okay." Harry replied easily, trying to brush it all off. "That was all crap, right?" His small smile faded as Jade nervously bit her lip.

"See, that was when you were supposed to say, 'no, it was all true, I was being a jerk, and I'm really, really sorry.'" Jade said. "Not that."

"I didn't do anything," Harry said defensively. "You're overreacting over something."

"Are you seriously trying to deny brushing me off all year?" Jade demanded, her voice rising. "Every time I've tried to talk to you, you're always distracted, not listening, and just snap at me. You really can't remember?"

"Hey, I've been under a lot of stress," Harry said, his voice also getting louder. "If you don't remember, I had to meet Peter Pettigrew, the man who happened to ruin my life, last year. And when I finally got to meet my godfather, he had to leave me. Alone."

Harry's words stabbed Jade right in the heart. "You have got to be kidding me," Jade's voice suddenly lowered to a whisper, but Harry heard them nonetheless. "Your godfather is _my_ real father. And after 12 years of thinking he abandoned me, I learned that he was actually imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit. And I also found out that my mother did kill someone, and that the man who 'ruined your life' also tore mine apart. He took a happy life away from me. You should have _never_ forgotten that." Jade was seething with anger, and Harry realized that he had made a terrible, terrible mistake.

"Jade. I'm sorry-" Harry started, but Jade marched toward him. She raised her right hand and slapped him across the face. Harry staggered back, clutching his stinging, red cheek.

"Don't _ever_ speak to me again, you bastard." Jade spat venomously, and retreated to her common room where she could cry in peace.

**A/N**

**I never really liked Harry that much, and that reflects in this chapter. I know in the books, he would never do this, so my story's a little OOC. Review please! I want to know your feedback! –Lyndasty Black.**


	15. Chapter 15

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 15

Harry didn't speak to Jade all year, and when Sarah found out about it, she ignored him, too. He tried to apologize, but seeing as both of the sisters stared walking in the opposite direction every time he approached them, it was more difficult than he anticipated. In fact, they didn't speak at all until the end of the school year.

It was the end of June, and the sisters had just arrived at King's Cross station. They were standing right next to the locomotive, and the air was thick with smoke. Trying not to breathe, they slowly navigated through the tightly packed crowd of students and parents. That was when they ran right into Harry.

"Mrs. Weasley was looking for you." Harry scowled. "She sent me over. Come on." Sarah and Jade shared a look, but followed him through the throng.

"There you are," Mrs Weasley smiled. "I wanted to ask if you wanted to spend the summer with us again. It's been wonderful with you there these past two summers."

"We'd love to!" Sarah exclaimed gratefully. She hugged Mrs. Weasley, and Jade gave Harry a sideways glance. He was still scowling.

"I guess I'm not invited." He muttered, mostly to himself. "Whatever." He walked away to the barrier that separated the Hogwarts Express from the Muggle world. Jade bit her lip, but then remembered the horrible thing he'd said. She grimaced, and turned away.

• • • • •

Life in Grimmuald Place was far from normal. After being given a day to unpack their things and get organized, Mrs Weasley cracked her whip and everyone in the house had to start cleaning the place. Everyone figured that it would take a week or two, and they'd be relishing in their summer vacation in no time. They were wrong.

The old house had fallen into extreme disrepair during its many years of abandonment. Doxys had taken over the study, there were thousands of parasites eating away at the walls, and a Niffler had even found its way into one of the bedrooms, wreaking havoc. It took three days of planning how to approach the situation, and another two to quell the arguments that ensued.

"I'm not cleaning the toilets by myself!"

"No. I will not be on kitchen duty _every night_."

"Scrubbing the floors! Do I look like a house elf?"

Hermione was very outraged by that last comment. She had arrived about three weeks into the summer, and was outrageous of how everyone treated Kreacher, the resident House Elf, and snapped at anyone who complained about him. She challenged every complaint with a very long rant about how House Elves had been mistreated and that they should be given fair wages. There were quite a few hastily hidden snorts of laughter as she did.

Jade and Sarah were having fun, despite the work they had to accomplish. They were around their friends, and they loved it. They forged very strong relationships with all of the Weasley children, especially Ginny, with whom they shared a room. There was one downside, however; their parents were there.

The first night they were there, Mr and Mrs Weasley were explaining about what they did.

"It's all top secret, but I'll tell you what I can," Mr Weasley had said. They were seated around the kitchen table, sipping lemonade. "The organization we have here is called the Order of the Phoenix. It was formed when You-Know-Who was last in power. We-" He was cut off as the door opened, revealing Sirius Black.

Jade and Sarah were instantly on their feet. "You didn't tell us he'd be here," Sarah said angrily as her sister gave him a death glare.

"We were about to, but-" Mrs Weasley started, but Sirius waved her stammered explanation aside.

"Can we talk?" Sirius asked his daughters, who narrowed their eyes. "Don't I at least deserve a chance to explain?"

Jade bit her lip, and glanced at Sarah. Sarah nodded, and Jade said, "Fine."

Mr and Mrs Weasley hastily exited the kitchen, and Sirius faced Jade and Sarah.

"What do you want to know?" Sirius asked after a few moments of silence. "I'll answer all your questions."

"Um," Sarah started after a moment of dead silence, "where's Lyndasty?"

"In the attic, taking care of Buckbeak. I could fetch her, if you-"

"No thanks." Jade snapped. "I don't want to see her."

"You won't be able to run away for long," Sirius warned her. "We're all living here now – you'll have to face her at some point."

"I know." Jade sighed, and they all quieted for another minute.

"Why did you escape?" Sarah asked suddenly. Both other pairs of eyes turned on her. "I mean, why did you escape when you did? You saw that Peter Pettigrew was still alive, sure; but why didn't you escape before? You could have, but you didn't. It would have been nice for you to check in with us, or something."

Sirius seemed to be expecting that question. "I wanted to, but I just couldn't. By the time I figured that I'd really be able to escape, you two were already seven years old. How would you two have felt if I'd just suddenly waltzed into your life? You were so young, and finding out that your father was an alleged murderer would be traumatizing. I escaped when I found out where Peter was so I would have something else to deal with. And," He paused, ashamed. "Frankly, I didn't want to face you. You must have thought I abandoned you. I didn't want to deal with that."

"Some father you are," Jade muttered. "So why were Sarah and I separated? It would have been a hell of a lot easier to tolerate our families if we were together."

"You'll have to ask your mother about that," Sirius said. "I was in prison, so I don't know exactly what happened." His eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. "What do you mean, 'easier to tolerate your families'?"

"Let's just say we didn't have the easiest time when we were growing up," The corners of Jade's mouth bitterly curved upward. "You probably don't care."

"I do care." Sirius spoke with suck intensity that Jade and Sarah were taken aback. "Every day I was in Azkaban, I worried about you. You, your mother, my old friends, everything. And what I'd do if I ever got out." Sirius marched over to his daughters and put his hands on their shoulders, even though they both stiffened at his touch. "When I escaped, I promised that I'd make amends with the two of you. I _do_ care, no matter what you think." He lowered the amount of ferocity in his voice. "Please, tell me what I can do to convince you that I mean it," he pleaded. "I want to be forgiven."

Jade and Sarah were stunned at their father's sudden outburst. Sarah, wide-eyed, grasped Jade's sleeve and, tearing their gaze away from Sirius, moved into the corner of the room.

"What should we do?" Sarah whispered frantically.

"I don't know! I don't know what to do!" Jade bit her lip, relaying what Sirius had said in her mind.

"I suppose we could give him a chance," Sarah reasoned. "He seemed sincere."

"I suppose…" Jade muttered, thinking hard. After a few moments, she looked over to the other side of the room. Sirius was sitting at the kitchen table, pretending to read the Daily Prophet. He glanced up to the two girls every few seconds. Jade looked back at Sarah, and nodded. Sarah nodded back, and straightened herself out. They both walked back to the table, and sat down across from Sirius.

"We'll give you a chance," Sarah said stiffly. "But you have to prove that you mean it."

"How?" Sirius demanded.

Sarah looked for help at Jade, who thought hard for a minute.

"I don't know what a real father does," Jade said. "I've never had one. We just want you to act like a father to us. We want-" Jade paused. "I want to know that for once in my life I'm appreciated."

Both Sarah and Sirius looked at her questioningly, but the look on her face said that she didn't want to explain further. Sirius nodded.

"I can do that." He said, and grinned. His face suddenly lit up like a little kid on Christmas. Jade and Sarah had to join him. Their happiness was short-lived, however, when someone else walked into the kitchen.

Lyndasty halted in the kitchen doorway, eyeing its occupants warily. Straightening herself up, she walked in.

"Listen to me," Lyndasty said fiercely to Jade and Sarah without letting them say anything. "I am your mother. I care about you. I know what I did is unforgivable, but I'm asking you to give me a chance. I was upset and exhausted that day, and the man I killed was provoking me. That's my excuse." Lyndasty set her jaw. "I know what I did was wrong. But he deserved it, I I've never wanted to take it back." Lyndasty paused, and lost her composure. "I don't know where that came from," she said sheepishly. "I guess I just needed to say it."

"Well," Sarah said too casually. "I guess we have two parents to forgive."

"I'll give them a chance," Jade said acrimoniously, and looked straight at her mother. "But I don't know about forgive."

• • • • •

**A/N**

**I'm not sure what to say for this one, it's kind of self-explanatory. Reviews are still very much appreciated! –Lyndasty Black**


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